


Finding Jake

by Everlast



Series: you only know what you want to know (and not what you want to see) [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-03 10:28:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4097554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everlast/pseuds/Everlast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts as a missing persons case, but as Lexa begins her investigation, she soon comes to find more than just answers for an ailing woman; she finds Clarke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

5 foot 9 inches. Late 80s to early 90s. Silver-grey hair. Fierce.

Those were her first observations when her new client walked up to the door to her office. The woman stood at the threshold, as if entering would seal her fate in some sort of battle within her mind. The strain was evident in her steely blue eyes. Lexa could see it, the internal battle. Oddly, Lexa found herself wondering if it was a good idea to interrupt. Ultimately, being who she was, Lexa stood.

"May I help you ma'am?" The elderly woman perked up at Lexa's raspy, no-nonsense voice, like she had not noticed her presence seated at the desk until she had stood. Almost immediately, the woman seemed to form a mask around her features, steeling herself and standing taller. Her ramrod-straight posture and practiced glare made Lexa think immediately of Costia, of her years in the military. The woman gave Lexa a once-over, ice blue eyes perusing her person like one would a finely-cut T-bone.

"Yes. I was hoping to find a Mr. Arnold here?" The old woman's perfume wafted across the room, mixing in with the smell of smoke, making Lexa want to gag at the heavy scent.

"May I ask what this is about? What is your name Madame?" Lexa's dark green gaze found its hold on blue eyes, shining with intelligence and clarity despite the physical signs of great age.

"How rude of me, my name is Elizabeth Griffin, and I was hoping to discuss with Mr. Arnold a matter of finding a missing person." Lexa's gaze searched the woman for any sort of deceit, her expression guarded as she scrutinized the old woman.

"Have a seat Ms. Griffin, I am the one you wish to speak with." Lexa could see the surprise in Griffin's eyes, and a flash of embarrassment flitted across them as she chose to sit on the chair facing Lexa's desk.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Arnold, I had assumed that you were a man when I had attained your business card, I – "

"No need for apologies Ma'am. It happens often enough that the novelty of the situation bears itself rather dry." Lexa gave the woman a small smile as she too sat. "May I ask who is it that I am to find for you?"

Griffin rearranged the scarf around her neck, curiously avoiding Lexa's intense gaze. Lexa's eyes observed the way the woman seems to toy with the hem of the woolen material, bony white fingers delicately twisting and tightening their hold. When she finally decided to answer, Lexa is almost ready to lose her temper.

"My son disappeared 25 years ago. I filed a police report, but no response or follow-up was ever given. But my life is nearing an end. I believe I should like to know if my son is dead or not." Griffin said, her voice tremored slightly, yet Lexa heard the hard determination underneath it. "As for your pay, rest assured that you will be paid double your current fee while you are investigating for me. Money is no object." The corner of Lexa's mouth turned upwards slightly. She had thought the woman reeked of old money.

"Ma'am, in my line of work, asking me to find someone who's been gone for 25 years is not a promise of a happy ending, regardless of how much you pay me." Lexa's voice was gentler, less harsh and forward than it had been before, a rarity, for if Costia could see her now she'd be quite surprised by her empathy. She looked at the elderly woman with mild curiosity. "Is it not better to simply, leave well enough alone?"

"I need to know what happened to him." The woman's eyes flared, a scorching fire behind them. "I have to know." She added, her voice lowered slightly. Lexa couldn't help but be impressed by her strength of character.

"If you insist, I'll need your son's full name, and a list of basic information if you would like to proceed." The woman rose from her seat and simply removed a large manila file from her heavy leather purse, placing it on Lexa's desk. It landed with a loud thump, the dust disturbed and flying in the sunlight filtered through the window.

"I came prepared, detective. I hope you can say the same." With that sentence completed, Griffin turned on the dime and exited Lexa's office as swiftly as she had initially entered.

Lexa sighed. She began reaching for the file, then made a quick decision and instead went for her comically large thermos of coffee instead. She felt it in her gut that she would definitely need it today.

\----

Years in the army certainly does things to you. It breaks you down, re-socialization in its finest, Lexa mused at the thought as she rubbed her shoulder absently. Her arm had gotten numb after leaning on it for the past few hours. Sitting at her desk, reading through the files that Griffin woman had left had occupied her for the better part of her Monday. Jake Cornelius Wilfred Griffin, U.S. soldier, served five tours as a combat engineer, then was discharged and met M.D. Abigail Griffin, fell madly in love, got married, had a daughter. At some point – she wasn't sure whether it was the fifth or six hour of researching on select databases – the words began to blur together, and Lexa took that as a sign to stop.

Her eyes stinging from exertion, Lexa looked out the window to find a few minutes of respite. The view from the 21st floor of the building complex was stunning. Yet she wasn't seeing the busy sidewalks, the yellow taxis, the businessmen dressed in three-piece suits. She had tried so hard to forget, but no matter the effort it always came back. The sins of Afghanistan would always be there whenever she closed her eyes, or thought of her.

No matter, there were more pressing issues to address. The money trail would be her start. Lexa rose from behind her desk, stretching her arms skyward before she collected her coat and strode out of her office. Time to go to work.

\----

Lexa had once been a fan of the Red Sox. As a child she had remembered afternoons spent with her father watching games at Fenway Park. Now even the thought of baseball repulsed her. That was precisely why she now was sitting with her back against the bright television screens, electing instead to watch her former company member, friend, and sometimes work partner act like a starved dog.

"Well whenever you are finished stuffing your face, I would like to ask you about some files." Her voice was low, cautious as habit dictated.

"You know I've got your back, just give me a name and the specific record and I'll have it for you by tomorrow." Bellamy replied around a mouth full of curly fries.

Lexa smirked slightly, her top lip curled in mild disgust as Bellamy slurped at his Guinness, the foam dripping off the tip of his nose.

"Remind me again how you managed to pass all the physicals last week, despite your lackluster diet."

"Please, the Bellamy magic metabolism of course! And hey, chill out a bit that girl's been eyeing you for the past few hours and that intimidating glare of yours isn't particularly charming." He nodded not so subtly towards the corner of the bar.

Lexa scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not interested. This is not a social visit Blake, I do not intend on being charming." She removed a folded envelope from the breast pocket of her blazer and slid it over to Bellamy. "Have a good rest of the evening, unlike you, some of us have actual work to do."

Bellamy simply laughed, though he was quick to scoop up the envelope, tucking it within the confines of his leather jacket. "It was nice seeing you too Commander."

Lexa winced internally. She turned to glare at him. "That name is dead now. For your own health and safety, desist from usage of it."

Bellamy's eyes widened slightly, his buzzing mind scrambling to remember her ban on the name. "Right, sorry, it just slipped out - "

"Forget it." Lexa growled before turning to walk away. She had thought she would never hear that name again. Yet, as it seemed, she was never going to escape her past no matter what she did to alter it.

\----

She woke in a cold sweat that night, the sheets askew and her heart racing like she had run a marathon. Vivid images of a bleeding woman lying at her feet, her face contorted with pain, and the sounds of IEDs exploding had raced through her mind.

Lexa clambered from her bed, stumbling out of her room and into the kitchen. Breathing heavily, she moved over to the sink and turned on the tap. She ran her hands under the icy cold water. It had been something she had picked up in Afghanistan, after her first brush with death. Her years on the ground had placed her in so many dangerous situations, yet her first one still haunted her to this day. Since then she'd been numbing the pain, the emotion with cold water, trying to wash off the blood on her hands - blood that had belonged to Costia.

She had not dreamt of the hot and sticky air of the Middle East for a long time, having closed that door years ago. Yet it seemed the case had opened up a can of worms, for she now stood where she previously had performing a habit long forgotten.

She was still standing frozen in front of the sink when the door to the apartment opened.

"Hey you." Anya called out in lieu of a greeting, yawning loudly as she shut the door behind her.

Lexa's lack of response caught Anya's attention. Carefully taking in the situation, Anya slowly padded over to her, standing next to her before the sink.

"Hey," Cautiously, Anya reached over to take Lexa's hands in her own. Lexa's body had stiffened, but after a few minutes she relaxed slightly. Together, they stood with Anya's hands enveloping Lexa's in the cold stream of water.

When she finally met Anya's gaze, her eyes were swimming with deeply rooted anguish.

"I can't get it off, no matter how much I try." In response, Anya gently took one of Lexa's tightly-wound fists and brushed her lips along her knuckles. After completing the action, Anya inspected her hand with care, and smiled gently.

"Not all things wash off as fast as others, but it will eventually." Lexa sighed at Anya's words, her shoulders shaking uneasily. She inhaled, exhaling slowly as she regained her sense of control. Anya saw the shift, a mask covering the pain she had just exposed. Lexa gently pried her hands away from Anya, away from the punishingly cold spray.

"How was your shift?" Lexa asked, changing the subject as soon as she could. The desperation to brush her moment of weakness under a rug was obvious, yet Anya knew when not to pry, and was quick to answer.

"Tiring. Remind me again why I chose to be a surgeon?"

"I believe it was something about liking being around dying people. Pretty morbid if you ask me." Anya laughed, and Lexa visibly settled. It was like she had snapped out of her daze, her eyes sharp and clear.

"Well anyway, I should go shower, I feel like I'm covered in layers and layers of mud." Anya said, reaching over to turn off the tap. Lexa nodded brusquely, her eyes looking anywhere but into Anya's deep brown gaze.

Anya saw that faraway look in Lexa's eyes, and she gently brought her hands to cup the younger woman's face.

"I'm always here for you." Lexa's hands found purchase around Anya's wrists, and squeezed gently in response.

"I know." The two of them had been through hell together. Joining the army at the same time, Anya had been assigned to her company in Iraq, and they both had went through the gates of Afghanistan together. It was nice, as Lexa begrudgingly thought, to have someone who knew her so intimately living with her. Despite that however, it did not change the fact that once her eyes closed and she was drowning in memories and nightmares, that she was very, shockingly alone.


	2. Chapter 2

New York City always looked more appealing at night – the alcohol tasted better and the women were sexier. After a few days of hitting dead ends for the Griffin case, Lexa was quite eager to forget it for a night and enjoy her time with the woman she had just brought home – Allison, a pretty red-head with beautiful ivory skin, slender curves, and lips that tasted like strawberries. As usual though, she would always be interrupted at the most opportune of moments.

Lexa's hands were making their way down Allison's abdomen, her shirt now abandoned on the floor, when her phone started ringing its obnoxiously cheery tone. She considered letting it ring, but the nagging at the back of her mind made her reconsider, even if there was a woman with her hands scratching at her shoulder blades in anticipation.

"Sorry, I have to get that."

"Seriously?" The red-haired woman panted, her hips moving erratically to meet Lexa's strategically placed hands. Lexa bit down gently on the woman's lip before turning her head to the nightstand. With a grunt, she used one hand to swipe the answer button, holding it haphazardly whilst she continued her ministrations on the woman underneath her.

"What?" She growled lowly.

"I have the information you needed on the missing person." Bellamy said quickly. "I followed some leads, and his last known whereabouts were detected based on some unintentional breadcrumbs left by cash. With my brilliant skills I –" Lexa shifted slightly, her movement accidentally brushing Allison's clit, which elicited a moan.

"Oh my God…are you with someone right now?" Bellamy's voice was a mixture of surprise and indignation. Lexa groaned internally at his words.

"Yes I am, now can you get to the point?" All she heard was laughter from her end of the phone before he finally spoke.

"Okay, seeing as you're busy getting down, I'll just summarize for you. Griffin's car was found in an alleyway down by Brooklyn with some blood on the front seat, signs of a struggle, but not enough to point to any major cuts. But, after a reanalysis and electrophoresis of the DNA found on the scene, there was not only Griffin's blood, but also blood from Will Ryerson, who is now serving time at Ryker's for his almost-successful assassination attempt five years ago as a hit-man."

Lexa sat up, leaving Allison to her own devices as she walked over to the next room for some privacy. "The beauty of advances in forensic tech, did you pay him a visit?"

"Already ahead of you on that one. I chatted him up this afternoon, and after he waxed poetic about client privileges and then arguing that he had poor memory, I broke his finger. Off the record as we all report it." Lexa snorted as Bellamy droned on. "Point is, after I had a discussion about how shivs fall from the sky around those parts, he confessed to have been employed at the time by someone widely respected and loved around these parts: Thelonious Jaha."

"Right, and what did you dig up from there? I would expect it to be difficult, given the brass he has in his pockets."

"In November 25, 1990 Jaha withdrew $200,000 from Ark Industries for what he had recorded in the books as a 'charitable donation' to a children's hospital in Manhattan that never actually made it there. Five days later, Griffin disappeared. I talked to a friend of Jaha and Griffin that had claimed to have no idea where he'd gone, and I believed that until I checked his bank records."

"It's been 25 years, did you even find anything dating back to that year?" Lexa asked skeptically.

"See that's the other juicy part. He doesn't have anything dating from 1990 and beyond, because he had just transferred his funds to Grand National Bank the December of that year. Literally the day after Griffin disappeared. And the best part is about to come up, guess what he used to do for a living."

"Well-" She began, only to be cut off by the overly enthusiastic NYPD detective.

"No no, I'm too excited, I'll say it." Lexa rolled her eyes as he continued. "He was a pilot that worked for a private security company. And guess who pays for that company's services – actually no I'm too excited – a Thelonious Jaha, CEO of Ark Industries. December 1, 1990, the private plane Jaha owned took off for Barcelona, Spain, without him."

"Oh hell." Lexa ran her hand through her hair, the cogs in her head turning a mile a minute.

"Jaha must have employed Ryerson to grab Griffin."

"But for what?" Lexa countered. "What motive did he have? Griffin worked in Applied Sciences, there is no connection between the two of them. For all we know it could all be coincidence."

"It's worth checking out though, there may yet be a trail in Barcelona. The entire security company's been remodeled since then, and the man in charge at the time has conveniently relocated to that exact same country. Its crazy suspicious to me, and I will call bullshit if you aren't thinking it too."

"I was employed to find a missing person, not to investigate the most powerful man in New York." Lexa growled, though she had to begrudgingly admit to the nagging thoughts shoved far to the back of her mind.

\----

She was sitting at a bench awaiting her flight, her duffle bag seated next to her when the paper she was reading was snatched from her hands.

"I can't believe you." Lexa looked up, green eyes muddled with confusion. She quickly was met with sharp blue eyes bearing an eerie resemblance to one of her clients. It hit her when she saw said-client about ten steps behind the irate young blond-haired woman standing in front of her, nodding to Lexa before she made a beeline for the restrooms.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met before. With women I usually I do something first and then I get yelled at." Lexa stated calmly, choosing to remain seated.

"I'm your client's granddaughter, Clarke, also I'm about to kick your ass." Despite Clarke's harsh words, Lexa found herself somewhat amused.

"For what reason exactly?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"My grandmother is getting along in years and she's not in the best health, and you decide to take her on a trip to fucking Spain?" Lexa exhaled slowly.

"I never asked her to come with me, and before you make an even bigger scene out of this on a Monday morning in JFK, I suggest you take a seat and let me explain." Lexa removed her duffle from the seat and slid it under her chair, motioning to Clarke. With a huff and a defiant glare, Clarke sat down, her gaze meeting Lexa's with clear challenge.

"Mrs. Griffin called me last Friday asking me about how the case was coming along, and naturally I informed her about the trip. I did not however, ask her to come, and neither did I condone it. Yet, being as forceful as she is, she strong-armed me into letting her accompany me." Lexa said, her voice calm and calculated. She was met with silence for a few heartbeats before Clarke spoke.

"Well you'll find that she's not the only forceful one in the Griffin family." Clarke said. "I'm coming with you two, and there's nothing you can do to change my mind." Lexa clenched her jaw. She always preferred working alone, the inclusion of Mrs. Griffin and now Clarke turned the situation from an inconvenience to a pain in the ass.


	3. Chapter 3

"Would you like another drink Miss?" The flight attendant's voice brought Lexa out from the depths of the file she was reading.

"No thank you." She plastered a charming smile on her face as she passed the empty cup to the woman for disposal. Their hands touched briefly, and the attendant flashed a brilliant, obviously flirty smile her way. With a wink, the attendant passed a folded piece of paper to Lexa before continuing her rounds.

Once the attendant departed and moved down the aisle, Lexa unfolded the scrap of paper, revealing a phone number and a name. Uninterested, Lexa refolded the paper and placed it in the cup holder. Clarke scoffed.

"What?" Lexa turned to look at Clarke. The two sat together, with Elizabeth occupying the window seat, out like a light once the plane had taken off five hours ago. Now her gentle snores were as a soundtrack to the little plane episode of Lexa's life. Mostly, Lexa and Clarke had largely ignored each other, with the former opting to re-read the notes that she had jotted down when Bellamy had called her last week. Now it seemed she had unintentionally captured the attention of the silently disapproving Clarke.

"You've both been flirting the majority of the flight, and the minute she gives you her number you get rid of it?" Clarke sounded annoyed. Then again, the first time they met Clarke had been annoyed at Lexa.

"The flight takes ten hours; it's only been five hours, so technically not the majority of the flight. Secondly, I'm not interested in anything too serious, and she looked ready to move in once she knew where I lived." Lexa stated in a monotone voice, she'd explained this many times before to Anya, she was well-practiced with explaining the method in her madness.

"So you just bang them and take off. Typical." Clarke rolled her eyes and downed the rest of her water.

"No, I'm simply a person who knows what she wants." Lexa stated calmly. "A flight attendant's job requires lots of travel and absence, which is not what I want. I want someone who I can spend time with and start new traditions with, like going out to Saturday brunch at a diner."

"You want a dog, not a girlfriend." Clarke said, her voice losing its aggressive tone, now only sounding amused.

"No, I want someone who can logically fit into my life without much hassle. It's about being practical, not spontaneous and stupid." Clarke stared at Lexa, her expression incredulous.

"You sound like a Vulcan."

"I do not understand that reference." Lexa looked at her with confusion. In response, Clarke sighed and looked straight at the monitors in front of them, currently playing a cheesy romantic comedy.

"It's the one where the guy writes all those letters to his wife right?" Clarke asked Lexa minutes later. Lexa, who had only vaguely been paying attention, looked up at the screen.

"Romantic comedies are overrated, so I wouldn't know." Lexa replied. Clarke snorted, though she still seemed somewhat irritated.

Lexa just glanced at the blonde-haired woman with light amusement colored in her eyes. The way she crinkled her nose and the flare in her eyes were cute, and Lexa found herself floundering for something to say.

"So what line of work are you in, Clarke?" She asked quietly, crossing her legs casually. Clarke eyed Lexa carefully.

"Why are you asking?" Lexa sighed at her response.

"I'm just making small talk, trying to be polite." Clarke scrutinized Lexa's profile for a few heartbeats before she finally answered her question.

"I work at a law firm in Brooklyn." Lexa nodded slowly. She could have guessed, by the way Clarke held herself, she could easily imagine her in the court room arguing blithely with her opponents.

"I can see it." Lexa said approvingly before turning back to her case file, her attempt at being somewhat human completed for the day. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the corner of Clarke's mouth turn upwards at the comment.

"Have you always wanted to be a private investigator?" Clarke asked tentatively, sounding much more friendly now. Lexa looked up, biting her lip slightly as she considered how to answer.

She finally settled on: "I've always been interested in a good mystery." She felt Clarke's perceptive gaze on her, and she did her best to maintain an aloof mask as she returned to reading some bank records.

They had fallen into an amicable silence for a good while – Lexa wasn't keeping track – when she was interrupted from her thread of thought by a hand on her arm. She almost jumped out of her skin at the contact, which she surmised quickly to be Clarke's hand. At her discomfort, Clarke immediately removed her hand, though Lexa found herself missing the contact once it was gone.

"Sorry, I just saw a name on the page you're reading. How do you know Bellamy Blake?" At those words, Lexa snapped the file shut. She was extremely paranoid when it came to the information she had on cases, especially about having potential conflicts of interest read what she had.

"We used to work together, and he gives me some information now for some of my cases." Lexa replied offhandedly. She raised an eyebrow at Clarke. "So you're an acquaintance of his?"

"I've known him since high school." Clarke said, brushing a lock of her hair out of her eyes –those sparkling, sobering eyes that Lexa couldn't help admiring when given the chance. Lexa hummed slightly to acknowledge that she'd heard her. She had remembered Blake mentioning that he was dating a girl from his high school years.

"So you're the girlfriend?" Lexa asked, and although she tried to ignore it, she felt slight disappointment.

"Oh no way." Clarke snorted. "I wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole, it would be like dating my brother. Besides, he's not my type." It was like a flash of sunlight had shone down on Lexa once she heard it, and this time she couldn't contain the slight grin.

"Good to know." She quipped lightly. "He is pretty scary when he's eating anyway." Clarke flashed a genuine smile.

"Been that way since grade 10, he's a monster." Clarke laughed. Lexa simply smiled back at the blonde. For a fleeting second, she considered making a joke, but the thought was shot down instantly when the sound of the PA came on.

"This is the flight attendant speaking, we're currently experiencing some turbulence, if you would please return to your seats and put on your seatbelts that would be well appreciated."

At that announcement, Clarke's hand gripped Lexa's forearm tightly. Lexa snapped her head to look at the woman, and saw fear painting her features.

"Sorry again, I'm really scared of flying." Clarke explained. Lexa nodded. She motioned with her free hand towards the seatbelts.

"It would be a good idea to put these on then, or else you just might be flying out of here."

"I'm sure it wouldn't come to that!" Clarke exclaimed somewhat breathlessly, although her hands were already moving to fasten her seatbelt, Lexa doing the same.

"Never say never." Lexa muttered darkly as she double-checked her seatbelt before settling back a little.

"You have such a sunny outlook in life, I'm blinded." Clarke grunted. Lexa let out a short huff of air in amusement.

"And you're going to have to get used to it, seeing as you rather aggressively decided to come with your grandmother and I for a three week excursion." The corner of Lexa's eyes crinkled with amusement.

Clarke's cheeks colored slightly, she – to Lexa's surprise – seemed almost embarrassed, a first given her confidence and stubborn attitude initially displayed since their meeting at the airport.

"I worry about her." She said softly, and as she looked down at her shoes Lexa couldn't help admiring the curve of Clarke's eyelashes, complementing her elegant, regal bearing. Swallowing thickly, Lexa immediately looked elsewhere, choosing to direct her attention to the male flight attendant currently making the rounds. Clarke meanwhile chose to check on Elizabeth to ensure she was still resting comfortably.

"You're a good granddaughter." Lexa cleared her throat after a moment of silence had passed between them. Clarke finally faced Lexa again, blue eyes meeting green in an instantaneous, synchronized movement. Lexa was vaguely aware of the proximity between her and Clarke – the two had turned their heads at the same time to find themselves mere centimeters away from each other.

"I um," Lexa started, watching as Clarke's gaze flitted down to look at her lips before roving upwards once more.

There was a jerk, and the plane jolted slightly, the momentum and the few gasps of surprise from the other passengers driving the two women apart. Lexa immediately pulled herself back into the confines of her own seat, Clarke doing the same.

After a few deep breaths, Lexa cleared her throat. "So, what sector of law do you specialize in?"

\----

"Thank you for flying with us, have a good trip." The flight attendant flashed her giant smile at Lexa, who returned the extra attention with a nod and a wink. Clarke, only a few steps behind, rolled her eyes at the interaction as she led her grandmother to the plane's exit.

The bright sunlight bore down with fervor even shining through the floor to ceiling windows of the Barcelona-El Prat, Lexa quickly donning her baseball cap as they made their way to the checkout point in the airport, her duffle in one hand.

After the brief affair, the three made their way out to the busy street. After quick deliberation, Lexa turned to speak with Elizabeth. "If you don't mind, I have some things to take care of alone, but you and your granddaughter can go sight-seeing, or go get some rest. We can all meet at the hotel that I've reserved for us."

"Of course, I would love to." Elizabeth said brightly as she returned her passport into her purse, along with some other items that had been taken out at the security check. To Lexa's delight, the woman had not worn the disgustingly heavy perfume during the trip. It gave her a particular spring to her step, having to avoid the urge to hurl. Her somewhat giddy attitude did not go unnoticed by Clarke, who quirked an eyebrow at her in curiosity.

"Great," Lexa bounced on the balls of her feet. She fished her phone out of her pocket and quickly found the address for the hotel. "Let me get a cab for you two ladies." Lexa looked up to meet Clarke's, as if asking for assent. The slight nod was enough, and Lexa threw out one arm.

Once the taxi she'd been eyeing rolled to a stop at the curb in front of her, Lexa bent down to the driver, exchanging rapid words in Catalan before opening the door for Clarke and Elizabeth. When she turned to face them, Clarke had a stupefied appearance on her face.

"You can speak Catalan?" She said, appraising Lexa as if they had just met, an impressed look shining in those beautiful blue eyes.

"Being fluent in other languages helps if you're an investigator, although you could also call it me being too lazy to get a translator and butchering some languages beyond repair before getting the hang of it." Lexa smirked slightly, and then made a motion with her free hand to the taxi.

"Well I'm not at all surprised by that development." Elizabeth intoned congenially as she entered the taxi first, abandoning her granddaughter on the sidewalk with Lexa. Lexa faced Clarke with a good-natured facade.

"I will see you ladies this evening." Lexa repeated as she turned fully to take in the woman standing before her. Clarke met her gaze and nodded. Her body language was slightly awkward before she settled for patting Lexa's shoulder.

"Right, see you." Lexa smiled at Clarke's clipped tone.

"May we meet again." She affirmed. Clarke beamed back at her, a grin overtaking her features.

"You make it sound so formal and unlikely that we will." Clarke threw the words over her shoulder as she moved to get into the taxi. Lexa stood uncomfortably holding the door for a heartbeat, before she decided to say anything; it was a gut reaction, she never planned the next words to come out at all.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing you later." The blonde woman grinned widely now, and as Lexa shut the door, Clarke waved at her once, the taxi tearing off far too quickly for Lexa's liking.

Lexa watched the vehicle until it disappeared from sight. She readjusted her hat, one hand on the brim before she pulled out her phone to make a call. The dial tone continued for a while before a low male voice answered.

Without hesitation, Lexa stated: "It's me, confirm ETA."


	4. Chapter 4

In comparing her last visit to the safe house six years ago, Lexa was disappointed - but not necessarily surprised - to find that nothing much had changed. The same dirty brown sofa, mango-colored walls, and dusty cabinets looked as worn and dated as it had before. The only difference was the presence of the man standing in front of her.

"Gustus." Lexa shook hands with the giant hulk of a man, whose dark brown eyes shone happily back at her.

"L it's been way too long, welcome back." He smiled at her, one hand raised up to clap her over the shoulder. Once the pleasantries were over, Gustus led her down the hallway, their shoes squeaking on the linoleum floor.

To her surprise, Gustus walked into the bathroom, motioning her along. With a mischievous look in his eye, Gustus pulled on the wall lamp. Lexa hid her astonishment as the adjacent wall swung open to reveal a newly renovated office, with people scurrying along as they went about their business.

"Like it? The Deputy Director called for modifications and revamps of all safe houses since 2013." Gustus beamed excitedly like a teenage boy would at seeing a crush. This time Lexa smirked.

"It's a great time to be reactivated then." She responded, and the two made their way into the office, the wall closing behind them, as inconspicuous as before.

"So how was your four hours of recon as Lexa Arnold, P.I.?" Gustus asked as he led them to the elevator. Once the doors closed, Lexa turned to face him.

"Already found out what happened, got enough information to finish the case and get out of here in a tight twenty. Just have to sit down with some ancient rattlesnake, and I'm done." Gustus laughed and offered a fist for her to bump, which she accepted with a grin.

"Great, now let's see what the new Colonel has assigned for you." Lexa raised her eyebrows at his words.

"Who is the new Colonel in charge?" She asked. Gustus rubbed his large hands together before he answered.

"You're going to like it." He replied with a shit-eating grin. Just as she was about to question him, the elevator doors opened, and Gustus started walking down the long hallway. With a low huff, Lexa followed him. He opened the dark mahogany door at the end of the hall and motioned for her to enter alone. Shooting him a mistrusting glare, she stepped into the room, and to her surprise, a familiar face was in her view. Lexa exhaled heavily at the eyes now meeting hers.

"So you're alive then, Luna. Or should I say Colonel Delmar." The woman in question rose from her $500 office chair to walk right up to Lexa, close enough to step on her toes.

"Agent Woods." Luna greeted her. The two of them looked coldly at one another for a moment before Luna finally broke their contest with a wide smile. Immediately, the two grasped hands, Lexa patting Luna's shoulder firmly, a genuine grin gracing her features.

"Finally the sleeping dragon awakens." Luna chuckled as she brought one hand up to gently brush Lexa's cheek. The action completed, she backed away and ambled back to her chair. "Please, sit." She nodded her head towards the chair sitting before her glass desk.

Lexa took the offered seat, and just like that the memories spent as an agent of the DIA swam back to her, memories that were locked only in her nightmares now flashing incessantly at the back of her mind.

Luna observed her with her deep blue eyes, blue like the ocean. As typical of their relationship, Lexa found herself squirming slightly under the other woman's gaze. After a few moments of silence, Lexa cleared her throat.

"So now that I'm here, can I know why I'm reactivated?"

"What, you're getting tired of deep cover?" Luna joked. Lexa smirked and inspected the wall behind Luna, catching sight of the numerous accolades, taking great pains to ignore the framed photograph on the cabinet. Luna caught her though, and the Colonel reached behind her to retrieve the picture.

Lexa looked down at her shoes, biting the inside of her cheek as the other woman scrutinized the image. It was a picture that had captured one of the few short days of carefree abandon in a country at war. Lexa still remembered the conversations they had seconds before the photo had been taken, with Costia complaining about the ridiculously hot weather, Anya teasingly calling Costia a wimp, with Lexa, Luna, and Bellamy laughing as they enjoyed the company of their friends, their teammates.

A group of five, they had been effective, the A-team of the DIA in diplomatic and intelligence-gathering missions. Those fresh-faced faces, five years younger than they were now, smiling like everything was alright. When Lexa was a student at Penn State, she had remembered her research methods professor lecturing on the subjectivity of document and archival analysis. 'They only show you what they want you to see, to accept it as an objective truth is to close your eyes to the subjectivity of this word', he'd said. Lexa had not forgotten the weeks spent in a hospital bed, thinking that her professor had never been more right. War was not a time for laughter, for happiness, for love, as that picture had implied. Then again, there is never time for such things Love, love was an inconvenience of which she could no longer feel.

"I take it you still think about what went down in Dragon Strike, then?" Lexa's eyes shot up to a corner in the room, and very consciously she remembered to stay calm. Words that she wanted to say, 'that mission was doomed to fail', burned at the tip of her tongue for release. Yet she held such words within herself, and when she finally felt like she would not lose her temper, she decided to answer.

"There's a reason I took the assignment in New York." Lexa was careful to avoid Luna's eyes, which she knew would be flashing with sympathy. She was tired of people walking around eggshells around her, giving her pity that she did not want.

"Well and now you're needed here, with us." Luna said firmly, placing the picture face-down on her desk. She clasped her hands in front of her, resting it on hard surface of the table. With two fingers, she pushed a piece of paper towards Lexa.

Lexa picked up the page and scanned it warily. When she finished reading it, she returned the paper to Luna's desk and lined the fingers of both her hands together, forming a bridge. "The Ark, why?"

"We believe someone high up in the food chain may be selling secrets." Luna replied, glancing at Lexa, who stubbornly refused to meet her gaze.

"Yeah, and your main suspect is Thelonious Jaha. Is that why I was really activated?"

"Octavia had mentioned that to me in her report." Luna said evasively, at which Lexa simply snorted.

"Bull shit, it was your plan all along, bring me back in for another assignment, see if I'm still of any use to the agency, if I can be a pawn again." Lexa retorted angrily.

"To hell with the agency!" Luna snapped, pushing her chair and standing, the Colonel struck an impressive figure as she glared down at the woman she considered her friend before a subordinate. Had Lexa not taken that assignment as a sleeper cell, it would have been her operating the base, not Luna.

"Do this because I need you on it. You're the best at this, out of all my operatives." Lexa scoffed at Luna's words.

"What of Lincoln? Octavia? Anyone else from the old unit can do just as well as I can."

"Remember who taught them, Lexa?" Luna slammed a fist onto the table, exasperated. Lexa met her glare defiantly, until Luna blinked and sighed, looking down in defeat before moving carefully to Lexa's side. Carefully, she sat down in the other vacant chair next to Lexa, and cautiously placed a hand on the armrest of Lexa's chair. "You're the best agent in the DIA that isn't tainted or an asshole. You have the best cover to investigate the Ark, and despite what you think, what happened to Costia was not your fault. And if anyone else from our unit bites the bullet I know you're going to kill me."

Lexa closed her eyes, unable to look at Luna. Even hearing her name made her cringe slightly. It took everything in her to maintain her cool mask. But Luna was right; she would rather sacrifice herself than one from her unit. Carefully, Lexa opened her eyes, slowly meeting Luna's blue orbs. "I'll do it. But once this is done, I'm out. For good." Luna stared back at her, and then finally nodded her assent.

"I'll have the paperwork on my desk." Luna said quietly. Lexa rose from her seat and walked away without a single glance over her shoulder.

\----

The cool ocean breeze was comforting against her bare skin, Lexa's perch at the hotel room balcony an oasis after her meeting with Luna that afternoon. The setting sun cast dark orange rays upon the people down by the beach. It was like casting a spotlight, Lexa's eyes instantly finding Clarke and her grandmother, strolling together and laughing. The sound of the blonde laughing sent palpitations in Lexa's chest, and she had been trying her best to ignore it for the past ten days they had stayed here.

Lexa really did not want to concede the battle between her head and her heart, a battle that had begun since the moment she had shared with Clarke on the plane. Since then, the past week and a half had been spent in Clarke and Elizabeth's company as she investigated leads and brought the two women along with her around the countryside, making a show of searching desperately for answers that she already had. She had known what had become of Jake Griffin once she had landed in Barcelona. One phone call had been all it took, and her local contact had already called in the right favors. All she did was interrogate the right-hand of the security company. 

She had Jaha. If anything, she was delaying the investigation because of the almost-vacation she was having. The amount of enjoyment she had discovered in traversing along the countryside with her two companions - especially a certain young woman - was almost criminal. It did not hurt as well, that she and Clarke had gotten much comfortable in each other's company. It only took two days before Clarke had broken down her barriers, opening her up to the concept of friendship. Whether she liked it or not, she was slowly falling for the blonde. There were moments too, when she wondered if Clarke felt the same way. She found out soon enough the next afternoon.

Lexa was typing furiously on her laptop, the computer keys creaking as she worked on the report she was due to hand in to Luna. She had been working on a lead in concerns to Jaha, an angle she was waiting for the Colonel to sign off on. She just had to get the dang report in.

"Lexa?" Clarke's gentle voice on the other side of the door roused Lexa from her work, shutting down her laptop quickly.

"Yup, hang on." She deposited the laptop on the bed and walked over to the door, opening it with a curious look on her face. She was greeted with a great smile, the blonde dressed in a simple powder blue blouse and jean shorts. "What's up?" Lexa asked, trying not to stare. Clarke seemed to have noticed however, and she smirked before sidling closer to Lexa.

"My grandma said she's tired from our countryside excursion the day before, if you're not doing anything, I thought we'd go out and see the sights." Clarke's open, innocent smile took Lexa's breath away, and she found herself, against her own volition, returning the smile.

"I would like that very much." Clarke grinned at Lexa's answer, and the two made their way out together.

\---

"Who was that guy who was in love with himself in Greek mythology?"

"What?" Lexa looked up from the little information card she had been reading about a piece of artwork in front of her. Clarke had been standing next to her, but now it seemed she had moved on to another piece had caught her attention.

Lexa walked over to the piece Clarke was currently observing. The blonde had a serious look on her face, one finger stroking her chin in contemplative thought. It was the Mirror Piece, a good number of mirrors lined up on the wall. Lexa simply frowned at the mirrors, and she found Clarke staring at her in the reflection, causing her to meet her blue gaze.

"Narcissus." Lexa said. Clarke turned her head to look at Lexa, their eyes now meeting fully.

"His name was Narcissus? How could I forget that one?" Clarke laughed, and Lexa smiled.

"Such an obvious name, I'm honestly disappointed."

"Hey," Clarke swatted Lexa on the arm playfully. "I'm not the nerd who majored in Criminology and Greek Lit."

"If we're comparing accolades in academics, you'd technically be the bigger nerd, Miss Harvard Law." Lexa shot back, nudging Clarke's shoulder as they continued their tour around the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. Clarke laughed, and casually wrapped an arm around Lexa's waist as they walked.

"Yeah never mind, I may be a bigger nerd than you." Clarke said finally.

"Conceding already? I thought there was more gumption in you than that." Lexa questioned teasingly. Clarke raised an eyebrow at her oddly, and stopped walking, disconnecting herself from the other woman.

"Did you really just use that word?" She asked in a low and conspiratorial voice. Lexa frowned at her carefully.

"What word?" The brunette examined the curious look on Clarke's face, which slowly evolved into a shit-eating grin.

"Gumption. You used the word gumption." Clarke said, grinning like a mad woman. "Do people even still use that word? You're older than my grandmother."

"Oh shut up." Lexa muttered, her face slightly flushed. That seemed to trigger something deep within Clarke, because she walked up to Lexa again, only centimeters separating their faces. With a gentle hand, Clarke tilted Lexa's chin to fully look into her eyes.

"I think it's cute." Clarke's eyes were filled with mirth, and gentleness, and Lexa could not look away. Her eyes darted down to Clarke's lips, and when she looked back up, she found the other woman doing the same. Lexa was acutely aware of the close proximity, she could feel Clarke's breath on her lips, warm and smelling of the vanilla ice cream she'd had an hour ago.

The sound of someone blowing their nose caused both to stagger away quickly, and Lexa suddenly felt like a teenager caught red-handed by a parent. Lexa warily looked at Clarke, who met her gaze warmly, and to the former's surprise, there was no regret as she had feared, but rather slight frustration.

"Let's go finish the tour?" Lexa suggested, offering her arm to Clarke, and Clarke smiled at the gesture. With a twinkle in her eye, Clarke took Lexa's offered arm and they recommenced their tour. Yet, this time Lexa felt a shift in the air around them, and if the smiles Clarke sent her way were any indication, it was a positive change.

\----

"Lexa Arnold, I was wondering when you would show your sneaky face again." Lexa's face was impassive and indifferent as she faced her current lead. An asshole, if she had to describe him - but more accurately, Gerard Bardem, former owner of DEP security, the company who had been employed by Jaha at the time of Jake's disappearance.

"Bardem, I really was expecting a better insult than that, has the hot Spanish sun fried your old brain?" She asked in a neutral tone as she was led by Bardem's butler to take a seat across from the man, finding an immediate distaste to the lumpy leather armchair. The old man grunted at her in response, choosing instead to puff generously on his cigar.

"A fried brain is alright, so long as the cigars are good and the women are beautiful." He said, rising from his luxurious leather sofa to walk over to the mini bar in the lounge. Lexa looked out the window as the man busied himself with some heavy spirits. He was living a very good life, mansion, horses, acres of land. As much as Lexa detested this man, she begrudgingly acknowledged the mild twinge of envy. She was jolted from her observation when Bardem called her name.

"What?" She said, tearing her gaze from the window. Bardem raised an empty glass.

"Scotch?" He repeated, and Lexa shook her head. Bardem retrieved his own tumbler and returned to his seat. After taking a healthy swig, Bardem looked at her. "So, what is the purpose of your visit? I was informed by Gustus that you wished to meet me, but did not tell me why."

Lexa shifted uncomfortably, the squeak of the leather making her want to rip the upholstery with her knife. "I know that you helped Jaha ferry Jake Griffin away in 1990. I already had a conversation with your right-hand man at the time, Joseph, he sang like a canary." Bardem's face immediately morphed from smug and content to furious within seconds. Still, Lexa continued. "I also am aware that you and your crew disposed of Griffin's body using, less than savory means. I could get you for aiding and abetting right now and haul your fat lazy ass out to the authorities now."

"Then what are you here for then? You have everything, are you here to gloat then?" Bardem sputtered angrily.

"I'm here because today's your lucky day Mr. Bardem." Lexa crossed her legs casually. "I want Jaha, not you, and since you two had been such fast friends, I'm willing to spare you for him. So first, I want you to tell me what you did to Griffin's ashes, then I want you to give me everything you know about Jaha and any other crimes you've abetted in. I want it all by the end of the day, and if you don't comply I'll send Gustus in here to tear you a new asshole."

"You can't possibly expect me to remember everything." Bardem snarled indignantly. Lexa simply let out a humorless laugh.

"Do you take me for a fool? I know you have files, a flash drive that your boy Joe adamantly claims exists. Files of every little task, everything documented like that pretentious ass that you are. This stays between the two of us, and if anyone besides you knows, deal's off and your fat ass will be sitting in federal jail, and I'll be enjoying the view from your nice mansion."

Lexa rose from her seat, and started her exit from the room. "By the end of the day, if Gustus does not have the flash drive, don't expect your pretty face to still look the way it does later." She called over her shoulder before she flung open the massive French doors leading her back to her borrowed car. Things were in motion, things she couldn't control. Lexa just hoped she wasn't in over her head.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, wake up." Lexa groaned, shielding her eyes with her hand as fingers poked at her obliques. "Come on lazy pants." The sun was shining brightly at her face, and for a second Lexa basked in the warmth. That was until she realized that Clarke was with her. Disoriented, Lexa sat up quickly, almost knocking the other woman off what she instantly recognized as a poolside lounge chair.

The events of the morning flooded back to her, the confrontation with Bardem, the conversation with Elizabeth. They were leaving tomorrow, Lexa's job already over, having closed the case. She must have fallen asleep after coming out here to relax after a swim in the pool, wanting to enjoy her last day in the sun before the return to the rainy weather of Manhattan. Except she did not remember Clarke having been with her at the time – in fact, she had remembered the state she'd left Clarke in, and it wasn't a good one. Said-woman was now readjusting on her perch at the unoccupied side of the lounge chair, and Lexa still saw traces of hurt and pain in her eyes.

"Is your grandmother alright? How is she handling things?" Lexa asked gently. Clarke fiddled with the loose threads on her t-shirt, avoiding Lexa's gaze.

"As well as I had expected." She said quietly. With a sigh, Clarke shifted rather ungracefully to rest her back on the lounge chair, parallel to Lexa. One hand reached out to grasp Lexa's hand for comfort, and Lexa at this moment had not felt more inadequate at providing it. She inhaled sharply at the close contact, and she felt guilty to be awarded such privilege.

Early in the afternoon, once she had returned from Bardem's mansion, Lexa had let the cat out of the bag. She had been careful to break the news to Elizabeth as gently as she could, but having Clarke with her at the time she told her was a good help. Lexa's attempts to find Jake's ashes had failed, and she felt a slight twinge of sympathy; this woman had traveled to a different country to find closure, and Lexa could not even provide her with anything to show for it. Nothing but pain, delayed tears from an old woman, and a resigned look on Clarke's face that indicated to Lexa that she had already been preparing for the worst scenario.

It was what she left out however, that made Lexa want to shift away slightly from Clarke, who had settled comfortably next to her. Lexa recalled the lies she had told them. How she had no idea who had killed Jake, only that he had been transported out of the country, all information about his captors 'destroyed' and impossible to find after 25 years. It was all necessary; she had to maintain her cover while still being able to subtly gather intel on Jaha.

"Are there ever any happy endings in your job?" Clarke's quiet, subdued voice summoned Lexa from her own thoughts, and she sighed at the woman's words.

"Not really." She replied, a tight pressure in her chest. It was the feeling of guilt, and for the first time in many years, Lexa was feeling guilty about it. It was all a lie. The P.I. job, her life in New York, her friendship with Bellamy, and through five years of it she had managed to detach from it, keeping a distance. Yet once she met Clarke, it was as if she could see through it all, see the hurt and the bottled up emotions that she so long had banished to worlds unknown.

Clarke curled against Lexa's side, head resting on her shoulder as the late afternoon sun bore down on them harshly. Even with her sunglasses on and her eyes shut, Lexa could feel Clarke's perceptive gaze on her like a laser. Ever since their near-kiss at the museum, there had been a tense atmosphere between them. The air around them seemed to be positively charged, electric and thunderous. The urge to kiss Clarke was like a thorn to her side.

Now, with the woman pressed flush against her, one hand propping up her head to look down at the brunette, her sun-kissed hair and glimmering blue eyes gleaming in the sunlight, Lexa was now reluctant to make any such move. It seemed too good to be true, that anyone would want her like this.

"I had a lot of fun yesterday." Clarke said softly. "I liked seeing you so carefree." Clarke observed, her words whispered softly as two lovers would in an intimate embrace. Lexa kept silent, watching the woman's lips move as she spoke. Clarke was now openly examining Lexa's features, tentative fingers feeling the latter's jawline, her sharp cheekbones with reverence. "But now it's different, your armor is on again." Clarke murmured as she studied the brunette's cool demeanor.

"That will never change." She angled her head to get a better view of Clarke. Gentle hands went around the arms of her sunglasses, removing them with nimble fingers. It was like she was naked, laid bare and in full sight of the woman next to her.

"That's not true." Clarke's hand brushed her cheek, and Lexa leaned slightly into the touch of her soft skin, relaxing fully into woman's ministrations. "Deny it if you wish, but I know you are more than just a stone-cold sleuth." Then, very tentatively, Clarke inched her face closer to Lexa. Before Lexa could even react, she felt the warm brush of lips against hers.

It was like heaven, an electric surge running through her body, and she did not want it to stop. Very gently, Lexa moved one hand to wrap around Clarke's waist, pulling her on top of her. With foolish and reckless abandon, Lexa kissed her back, reveling in the taste of Clarke's lips.

Clarke shifted slightly, bringing their hips flush against each other, one hand roaming down to Lexa's abdomen while the other gently took Lexa's hand, encouraging her to move from its position at her waist.

"There are other people here." Lexa said between kisses, her hand now venturing down to Clarke's rear. Above her, Clarke moved down to pepper Lexa's neck with wet kisses that did not do well in reining in the intense flame that was burning at the pit of Lexa's stomach. Lexa's breath caught in her throat when Clarke's hand moved down to the waistband of her shorts, then suddenly the contact was gone.

Standing up, Clarke offered a hand to Lexa. "Want to take this somewhere more private then?" She asked with a smirk and wink. Lexa chuckled and took her hand. For once, she was going to throw her caution to the wind. It also didn't hurt that the feel of Clarke's body against her – and her gentle lips – was addicting.

\----

Panting, Lexa landed flat on her back, her skin slick with sweat. She was still catching her breath, thoroughly satisfied. Next to her, Clarke was also occupied with recovering from their activities, lying flat on her stomach. Lexa let out a breathless chuckle. That was probably the best sex she had ever had in her life. It was mind-blowing, to say the least. Her entire body was exhausted, and she did not think she'd be able to move for a good while.

Clarke shuffled to press her side against Lexa, one arm encircling the brunette's waist, propping her head up to survey Lexa in all her exhausted and sweaty glory. If anything, Lexa felt as if Clarke's body was mocking her, feeling the other woman ready to go for round four.

"You have amazing stamina." Clarke released a puff of laughter as she leaned down to capture Lexa's lips in a chaste but tender kiss.

"Is that a compliment? Has anyone ever told you that flattery will get you nowhere?" Lexa grinned.

"It got you in my bed." She stated as she ran a hand gently down Clarke's shoulder blade, feeling the blonde shudder involuntarily with eagerness at the touch.

"I believe it was actually all thanks to me that I'm in your bed, chicken." Lexa chortled, and Clarke glared good-naturedly at her.

"Yeah, well if waking someone up and then jumping them counts." Clarke pinched Lexa's side lightheartedly.

"I didn't see you making any move to reject my advances." Clarke countered, lowering her head to brush her lips against Lexa's shoulder. The touch of her lips on her bare skin made Lexa arch slightly, and Clarke smirked knowingly up at her.

"You're just very good at seducing people." Clarke's lips were gone from her shoulder, and she looked down imperiously at Lexa, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Just people in general?" Lexa groaned at the loss of contact, and Clarke moved down her body, positioning herself at Lexa's hips. The brunette had to control the urge to spread her legs a little bit wider, the sight of Clarke at such a strategic angle making her heart beat faster.

"Fine, me. You've seduced me." She was rewarded when she felt Clarke's lips move lower, and she jerked slightly in anticipation.

"Good that you've finally admitted it." Clarke said jovially.

"Just get on with it already."

"You're too impatient, I might have to have my way with you all night."

"Sounds good to me."

\----

The sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand the next morning woke Lexa instantly from her dreamless and restful slumber. Very delicately, Lexa untangled her limbs from Clarke to get up from the bed. It was Gustus. Quietly, Lexa swiped the answer button on her phone, throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before stepping out to the balcony, closing the door behind her.

"L, Bardem's files check out. Jaha definitely is up to some overseas shit." Gustus said instantly, not bothering with a good morning.

"How bad?" Lexa asked.

"Well first of all, he's still working with Bardem. There's information dating as late as February 2015." Lexa ran a hand through her messy hair as she thought.

"Do you have Bardem in custody?"

"The Colonel's already had him debriefed and signed on as an informant." Gustus replied, and then he let out a short bark of laughter. "Little fucker wasn't eager to sign though, he was so scared he'd be knocked off once Jaha finds out."

"How'd the Colonel convince him?" Lexa asked.

"A big fat check. That old man's a coward, but he'll do anything for money."

"Great. Now he can continue working for him like nothing's wrong."

"Yup, your cover is intact and everything seems normal." Gustus confirmed. Lexa looked out to the sea, the morning tide lashing relentlessly against the sand. It was tranquil and calm, and Lexa was already missing it.

"It's back to obnoxious, rude taxi drivers and jerks on bikes for me." Lexa joked lightly, and Gustus chuckled.

"Wouldn't have been in deep cover for five years if you didn't like it though." He pointed out.

"True." Lexa heard movement behind her, and she turned to see Clarke beginning to awaken, one of her hands searching for the empty space that Lexa had occupied minutes before. "Talk to you when I land G." After hearing his affirmation, Lexa ended the call and stealthily crept back into the room.

Clarke turned her head, seeing Lexa closing the balcony door behind her. "I was beginning to think you'd left." Lexa scoffed and stood on Clarke's side of the bed, the blonde moving sluggishly to hang her legs on either side of the mattress, drawing the brunette close, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Lexa gently combed Clarke' blonde hair from her face, and she felt the other woman relax into her touch, and she smiled as she saw Clarke's eyes flutter. "Hey, we have to get ready to leave. Your grandmother's probably raring to go." Clarke mumbled into Lexa's shirt incoherently, simply burrowing her face into her stomach. The two just stayed in the embrace for a few minutes, with Lexa running her hands through Clarke's hair until the other woman suddenly withdrew and faced Lexa fully.

"What are we, Lexa?" Her blue eyes searched the brunette's face, and for the first time Lexa did not look away.

"We're humans." Lexa said in a low, serious voice. Clarke pinched her side, and Lexa squirmed slightly.

"I'm serious." Clarke looked at Lexa, her eyes a darker shade of blue. "Was this just a one-time thing, or is it something else?"

Lexa returned Clarke's intense gaze. She had thought about it too, after Clarke had fallen asleep. Despite all her reservations and her logic though, she couldn't find a good excuse to say deny her affections. She was falling hard for her, and it was too late to pull away now.

"I'm serious about you Clarke. If you'll accept, I would like to have the honor of dating you." Clarke's smile radiated with happiness at her response.

"I'd like to date you too." Clarke beamed, and she brought Lexa's face down for a heated kiss. "Although," Clarke said between kisses, "I'm not sure how my grandmother's going to react to the news, seeing as she kind of hates you now."

"Let's not talk about your grandmother." Lexa said, as she deepened the kiss. She pulled away after a few heartbeats, resting her forehead against Clarke, breathing hard.

"We should start packing." She said weakly. Clarke gave her a look, eyebrows raised. "Flight's at 12, its 8 already." Her resolve was crumbling even as she spoke, but Clarke's hands already at the button of her jeans sealed the deal.

"Like we'd need more than a twenty minutes." Lexa gasped in mock-indignation at Clarke's words, but any witty remark was silenced when the blonde began sucking on her collarbone.


	6. Chapter 6

Lexa yawned, a hand moving to cover her mouth as she picked up the newspaper from the doormat. The morning sun shone down brightly, slightly blinding her before Lexa quickly retreated into the confines of the condo. The condo. The condo that she had consigned with Clarke. Their condo.

It had been five months since Lexa had wrapped up the investigation in Barcelona. Five months of a blissful, happy relationship with a woman she still could not believe was her girlfriend. It had been slightly difficult, figuring out the specifics with Anya on how to keep her DIA work safe and far from Clarke's curious and perceptive eye, but with a few compromises Lexa was pleased with the result.

It had also been five months of recon for Lexa, five months of closely shadowing Jaha, gathering as much intel as she could. The events of the day before had been most exciting though.

\----

12 Hours Ago

"Alpha-1, you're clear."

"10-4." Lexa grunted into her mic as she dived into the water. The brunette had planned to steal some files from Jaha while he was on his private boat.

After a few weeks of watching him, she had realized that his cruise-time was also when he set up meets with clients and organized his itinerary. Most importantly though, she had seen him carry a particular laptop around wherever he went. She surmised that it likely had some files of importance. Then again, it could be a red herring, she thought to herself as she carefully swam closer to the boat.

So she had set up the op. Infiltration during one of Jaha's crazy boat parties in the hopes of getting her hands on whatever he was hiding. But such a mission required some help, and she was eager to call them in - them being Octavia and Lincoln.

On a smaller boat, the two agents had set up shop. Agent Blake had piggybacked into the security camera fees on Jaha's boat, and was acting as Lexa's eyes. Lincoln meanwhile was suited up and ready to provide support, bouncing slightly from one leg to the other. It was just like the old days, Lexa mused as she swam.

The sound of music and a heavy bass line invaded her eardrums as she scanned the deck. All the guests for tonight's party were clustered around the front of the boat. With a low grunt, Lexa quietly climbed the steps at the stern and made her way to the lower levels of the ship.

Her hand was on her pistol, her eyes scanning each room as she cleared the area. When she finally found Jaha's private quarters, Lexa made quick work of the locked door. The room was comprised of a large king-sized bed and a desk with a laptop. She cautiously pried open the lid of the computer, and noticed the thumbprint scanner passcode. Drawing from her experience dealing with such technology, Lexa blew some air on the scanner, the oil of Jaha's print making itself clear. She was in.

"Talk to me Alpha, you got it?" Octavia's voice sounded in her earpiece.

"Downloading the files now." Lexa inserted her USB and tried to work as fast as she could. The sound of a woman and a man's laughter coming closer had Lexa in a slight panic.

"Incoming, Jaha and some woman. They're at the foot of the stairs." Agent Blake warned from her view behind her own laptop.

She glanced at the progress bar on the screen, 98% downloaded. "Shit." She muttered, pulling her gun from the holster, silencer screwed on. A green light suddenly appeared on the screen, indicating that the download was complete.

"Alpha-1 get out of there now!" Octavia warned her. "They're drunk, but the keys are out of his pocket."

Lexa pocketed the USB and her gun in her waterproof gear, and shutting the laptop's lid, she made a beeline for the open window, dropping down into the murky waters a crucial heartbeat before Jaha and his companion barged into the room.

After swimming through the waters to the agents' boat, Lexa heard Octavia's voice over the comms. "Lexa, status?" Her voice sounded worried, so with a few confident strokes, Lexa's head emerged to meet Lincoln's worried gaze on the deck.

"Bravo-2, package obtained." Lexa gasped as she swam closer towards their boat, taking Lincoln's offered arm. It was freaking cold.

\----

"Lexa, don't forget we have dinner tonight with the Hendersons." Clarke said as she strode confidently down the hallway to the brunette, one hand rummaging through her purse. Clarke's voice jolted Lexa out of her momentary lapse, and she cracked a grin at the woman. The blonde was dressed in a dark navy suit, the skirt showing a generous amount of skin. Lexa smiled at the sight - she was perfection, sunlight on a dark day.

"I'll be there." She promised as Clarke pressed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"See you at 7. Oh and Anya called, she said it was about a case you're working." Clarke started out the door, a hand on the door knob. "Where is it?" She muttered under her breath.

"Got it, and honey, your keys." Lexa held them up, dangling it tantalizingly in front of Clarke. The blonde smiled and went to reach for them, giving Lexa another kiss, this time on her lips.

"Thanks. See you." She called over her shoulder.

The minute the door closed and she heard the engine of Clarke's Toyota Prius, Lexa was quick to fish her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Anya, what's up?" Lexa asked the instant the other woman picked up.

"I looked at the files you snagged on Jaha's party boat yesterday. You were right; a virus instantly invaded once I connected the USB. Once I got Octavia on it she managed to unlock the data. We have schematics, flight schedules, and associates." Anya paused for a second before she continued. "Lexa, there's more, but I have to tell you in person. Can you meet me today?"

Lexa bit her lip at Anya's request. She was due to clock in today at her cover job today until 4. With a groan, she also remembered the dinner tonight with the neighbors. "Meet me at 12:45, under the Bridge." She finally said.

"Sounds good."

\----

Lexa spotted Anya instantly as she turned the corner. Parking her Harley Superlow, Lexa dismounted and walked up to meet her, removing her helmet.

"Ever since you moved in with that hot blonde, I feel like I have to jump through hoops to see you face to face. And seriously, when am I going to meet her?" Anya complained in lieu of a greeting as she wrapped her arms around Lexa's shoulders in a hug.

"That hot blonde has a name." Lexa reminded her with a smile. "And soon. Its been a busy few weeks."

"Yeah, must be real hard for stone cold killers to get used to domestic bliss."

"Anya, I only have a few minutes. What did you need to tell me that couldn't be told over the phone?" Lexa changed the subject abruptly.

"We might have a mole, Lexa." Anya said, her voice low, hands in her pockets. Lexa raised her eyebrows, her breath catching.

"Who?" She asked. Anya scuffed the gravel under her boot before answering.

"Blake the Older."

"Shit." Lexa swore. "Are you sure? On what grounds?"

"In the list of associates and schematics, there was also information regarding Dragon Strike. Lexa our unit's involvement in it was classified. The only people who know about it is you, me, Luna, and Bellamy. Costia's dead, I'm solid, and Luna's concrete too."

Lexa paced, running her hands through her hair. "How do you know Bellamy's the one though?"

"There's information about everything, including how Cos died. Those files have been sealed since the mission, and Luna swears they haven't been touched. There's something else too. Jaha's up to his eyeballs in what went down. He has connections overseas to terrorist organizations, he sold out our position that day." Anya met Lexa's shocked eyes.

"Son of a bitch has been under our noses the whole time." Lexa snarled. "He killed Costia." She stalked back towards her motorcycle.

"What are you doing?" Anya asked.

"I'm going to kill him." At once Anya was rushing over to Lexa, and blocked her path. The two struggled for a few seconds, but a hand on Lexa's tender ribs from a sparring session yesterday effectively halted her movement.

"Lexa don't. Think for a minute. Luna wanted you on him so you could get the big kahuna. She needs you to catch him in the act, the asshole's way too slippery without it." Lexa struggled against Anya's arms, tightly clasped around her waist. "Lexa! Do this the right way. Costia would have wanted you to."

"Fuck!" Lexa shouted, but just like that her body relaxed into Anya's hold. Memories of Costia's death flashed through her eyes. A death she thought she had been responsible for, but now proven wrong. Anya held her tightly, and Lexa knew the other woman was thinking about that day too. "It was my mission Anya. I did the recon, the planning. Fuck."

"Well now we know its not your fault." Anya's voice was firm. "Now avenge her, for all of us. But do it the right way." Lexa exhaled heavily, before nodding in agreement.

\----

The sounds of a punching bag being beat to death echoed all throughout the small gym. Loosing a flurry of kicks and punches, Lexa beat out all the frustrations she currently felt. She thought of Jaha's face, and with renewed vigour she punched furiously.

She'd been in here for a few hours. She had left Anya to retreat here, in the New York HQ to release some of her earlier aggression. No matter how hard she punched the bag though, her thoughts still drifted to the conversation she had with the other woman. Suddenly the bag took on Bellamy's features, and she released yet another combination of rapid blows.

Lexa heard steps behind her, but she disregarded it, knowing who it was already by the sounds of their footfalls.

"What did the bag do to you?" Lincoln's voice suddenly appeared behind her.

"It drew the short straw." Lexa grunted, jabbing at it a few more times before turning to face the agent. "Did you want something?" She asked, and reached for her bottle of water with taped hands.

"I was planning on getting some hits in myself, but now that you're here, want to spar?" He asked. Lexa took in his attire, he was indeed dressed for the occassion.

"Sure, I do love knocking you on your ass." Lexa replied with a slight smirk.

"Oh please. I've been practicing a few moves." Lincoln retorted as he put on a pair of gloves. Lexa did the same, and the two made their way to the ring in the center of the gym.

With a quick tap of gloves, the two agents began trading blows. They were mostly silent, Lexa landing a few hard punches, bobbing and weaving expertly away from the younger agent. They kept at the dance, until Lincoln spoke.

"So I know what Anya found." He started tentatively. Lexa did not reply, choosing instead to land a roundhouse kick on his side.

Lincoln grunted in pain, and a few of his own punches met Lexa's side. Lexa retaliated fast, lunging forward and punching under his armpit as he was about to land a blow, before knocking his legs out from under him. She let a low grunt of satisfaction as he hit the mat.

"Why do you bring it up?" Lexa asked. "Does Octavia know?" She offered her arm, and Lincoln accepted it, grasping her forearm as he got to his feet.

"No, Anya had told her to get out of the room to fetch another laptop when she made her discovery." Lincoln looked at Lexa. "Do you really think Bell is the traitor?"

"All leads will be investigated." Lexa stated firmly. She motioned for round two, and Lincoln started moving again.

They traded a few blows before she said anything again. "What is your opinion of it?" She asked.

Lincoln dealt a few kicks at Lexa, which she dodged as he ruminated over his answer. When he finally responded, he said: "It makes sense. I mean, no one else on the team would leak the information. Unless there's some larger conspiracy going on, it looks pretty bad for Bell."

"My thoughts exactly." Lexa said. "Watch your left side, you keep favoring it." She advised, before landing two quick uppercuts.

Lincoln swerved, avoiding a third hit, and attempted to punch at her face. Lexa ducked, and grabbing his arm she flipped him efficiently like he did not weight 200 lbs.

"And don't make it so obvious when you're about to make a move."

"Gee, thanks." Lincoln said sarcastically, and yet again he was hauled to his feet with Lexa's help. They faced each other again and Lexa smirked.

"What did you say earlier about practicing your moves?" She asked.

"With the highest respect Boss, shut up."

\----

Lexa met Clarke right in front of the Hendersons' doorstep, rushing up the steps after her.

"Sorry I'm late hon, work thing." She explained as Clarke turned to meet her. "I brought wine though." Lexa held the bottle up for Clarke to see as she moved to peck Clarke's cheek hastily in greeting.

"You were only a few seconds late, no big deal." Clarke smiled, an arm coming to encircle Lexa's waist. The blonde sniffed, and then looked at Lexa quizzically. "You smell like sweat, did you work out?"

"Just a little session in the gym this afternoon, I have some pent up energy, that's all." She replied evasively.

"I can think of some ways to help you scratch that itch later if you still need it." Clarke suggested, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Lexa grinned and pulled Clarke closer to her, their bodies flush against each other. "That sounds perfect." She murmured, watching as Clarke's gaze fell to her lips. Without much thought, Lexa brought their lips together. At the touch, Lexa felt a burning, fiery passion. She wanted Clarke, here and now. Clarke sought entrance into Lexa's mouth, and she complied quickly, their tongues dancing with familiarity.

Clarke jumped and linked her legs around Lexa's waist, and the brunette immediately supported her, hands reaching around the blonde's rear, although carefully putting the bottle of wine on a deck chair. She was lost in Clarke, unsure where she ended and the blonde began.

"Hey I thought I saw - oh gosh!" The sound of their host at the door had the two women jump, separating from the other rapidly.

"Good evening John." Lexa said weakly, while next to her Clarke adjusted her wrinkled blouse. "Sorry about this." She scooped up the abandoned bottle of wine.

"No no, its all good. Please come in." John said, opening the door wide for them to enter.

With a quick word of thanks, Clarke reached for Lexa's hand, and led the way into the house. Cheesy 90's music was blasting from the direction of the living room, and John heartily patted Lexa on the shoulder. Clarke released Lexa's hand and went off to socialize with some of the neighbors, and Lexa was sad to see her go.

"This is for you." Lexa said, offering the wine to John, remembering that she was still holding it.

"Thanks neighbor!" He said jovially as he took the bottle. "1994, wow thanks!"

Lexa gave him a lopsided grin before taking off for the minibar.

"Lexa!" One of their neighbors, AJ, greeted her from his position at the bar side. "Did you see the game yesterday? The Jets were destroyed."

The brunette plastered a smile on her face as she ordered a scotch. "No, I was too busy working, which is more than you can say for yourself." She joked lightly, and AJ guffawed.

She wasn't sure how long it had been, but Lexa was absolutely tired of this. She had spent most of her time chatting with AJ and his wife Georgie, and the pleasantries were wearing her thin.

She kept looking across the hallway to the other room, and occasionally her eyes would meet Clarke. Each time, Clarke smiled at her softly, soft blue eyes meeting harsh green. Lexa sighed, and took another swig of her scotch, turning her head as her name was called to weigh in on yet another sports debate.

When she finally excused herself, Lexa made her way to the restroom. On her march back, she caught sight of Clarke talking to another woman. She knew the neighbor, a single woman, pretty and blonde. Obviously not as pretty as Clarke, Lexa thought.

What she did not appreciate however, was the other woman's proximity to Clarke, and the hand she had placed on the latter's arm. Lexa felt a slight twinge of jealousy, and without thinking, she strode over to the two of them.

"Sorry, we have to go. We're late for…getting home." Lexa said as she reached out to take Clarke's arm.

Clarke looked at her with surprise, and with an apologetic look at the neighbor, she allowed herself to be led out of the house. Once they had exited the Hendersons' property and had stepped onto the street Clarke freed herself from Lexa's hold.

"Okay what was that?" She asked, turning to face Lexa, looking a tad annoyed. "Are you drunk? That was pretty rude."

It was pretty uncharacteristic for Lexa, and she could tell Clarke was thinking the same thing. She was typically a very polite person, if not falsely polite at times. But she simply couldn't stand what she had seen.

"I was – the woman was drooling all over you Clarke." Lexa muttered, looking down at her shoes. "I can't just watch another woman make you laugh. Only I can do that."

Clarke's gaze on her was unlike any other time she had looked at her. Lexa squirmed under her microscopic attention, shifting from one foot to the other. A hand went to tilt her chin up to meet Clarke's eyes.

"You were jealous." Clarke said slowly, and despite Lexa's reservations, she felt herself nodding slightly. Clarke smiled then, a real shit-eating grin that Lexa was surprised to see. "You were jealous. Jealous Lexa. Lexa, jealous. Jealous Lexa."

"Are you okay Clarke? Are you broken?" Lexa looked at her girlfriend with concern, and Clarke laughed before she leaned up against the brunette.

"This is the first time you've ever been so protective." Clarke crowed excitedly. "Usually you're so calm and you handle other women or men hitting on me so calmly, but you literally stormed out of that house."

"You enjoyed that?" Lexa frowned. "I hated that feeling." Clarke pulled Lexa close to her, arms around the brunette's waist.

"I just – it's been five months, and you've been distant the past few weeks. I thought you were getting tired of us." Clarke looked at Lexa, her gaze soft. "It's just nice to have you fight for me like that."

Lexa sighed, and rested her forehead on Clarke's gently. "I'm sorry I've been a bit out of it, this case I'm working has just been a huge pain in the ass." She gently brushed her lips against Clarke's nose. "I'll work harder to be more present."

Clarke smiled and kissed Lexa hard on the mouth. "That's all I wanted." She confessed softly. Lexa shook her head when they parted, and looked at Clarke solemnly.

"Next time tell me. I'll always fight for you Clarke. Always." She said, and she swore the look in Clarke's eyes could be the last thing she ever would see in this world, and she'd be satisfied with it. Her life could end right now, now that she had that opportunity to see it – that look of pure, unadulterated love flashing at her. She could truly die happy with this one look.


	7. Chapter 7

The sky was still dark, an inky black that consumed buildings. It was quiet outside, and cold in the harsh last legs of winter. The moon barely made its presence known, its beams filtered through a wall of cloud. In stark contrast, the confines of the room were nice and warm, evidence of certain late night activities still burning a fiery passion into the air. Clarke's fingers dragged down across Lexa's spine gently as the brunette drifted in and out of consciousness. The blonde's head was propped up by her elbow, lying on her side as she took in the sight of her lover resting, legs sore and body spent.

Clarke's fingers flowed reverently along Lexa's body, her skin tingling at the sensation.

"This part is my favorite." Clarke whispered softly, drawing Lexa out from the warm embrace of sleep. Lexa repositioned her body to lie on her back, facing Clarke. The blonde's eyes were warm and soft as she looked down at Lexa with love shining down on her as passionate as the sun.

Lexa smiled, the slight wrinkles at the edge of her eyes revealing themselves. "I thought your favorite part was when I used my tongue to –" Anything else she wanted to say was cut short by Clarke's lips brushing up against her own. Lexa lifted a hand up to cup the back of Clarke's neck, drawing her in deeper, their lips moving in a well-synchronized dance.

When Clarke withdrew, both women were out of breath. Clarke shuffled to rest her head on Lexa's shoulder, pressing up against the other woman's side comfortably. The skin on skin feeling was driving Lexa crazy, wanting more even though her equilibrium felt very out of balance. She was weak, and the sole cause was Clarke. This woman, who had barged into her life five months ago, had also broken her down and it made her heart beat as though she had run a marathon.

Gentle fingers against her sternum softly made their way down to her well-toned abdomen, admiring and praising with the slightest pressured touches. Clarke's other hand drifted up to entwine her fingers in Lexa's.

Under her ministrations, Lexa felt warm and comfortable, content with the state of their unity. She had almost drifted off to sleep again when she felt the slightest graze at a specific spot on her hip.

"Where did you get this scar?" Clarke asked softy. Lexa opened one eye, noticing that Clarke's attention was strictly devoted to that spot on her hip, one of many marred areas of her skin.

"Overseas." Lexa replied, her voice quiet. She had never talked about her tours in the Middle East to Clarke, something they had agreed upon. A part of her assumed that Clarke did not want to know the horrors she had faced there, and the horrors she had dealt out. She felt relieved; many of her tours there had been under assignment with the agency, and the details of each mission and the ensuing chaos were not things she wanted to relive.

"Sometimes I forget that you were there," Clarke whispered. She bent down, soothed over the skin with soft, healing lips. "I forget that you were once there, and not here, with me." She continued, eyes drifting up to meet Lexa's drowsy gaze. A hand trailed along her abdomen, stroking the marked flesh there. Relics of old injuries lay there, presented before Clarke under the moonlight filtered through the windows.

They enjoyed a calm silence, with Clarke's touch gentle and soothing along Lexa's frame.

"Have you ever been in love?" Clarke asked suddenly, her words discreet. It was so muffled and indistinct, it would have blown away in the wind.

"I've cared for someone before. I'm not sure if it can be referred to as love." Lexa said quietly. "Costia. She was a member of my unit once."

"Did she…" Clarke's question trailed to an end once she saw the distraught appearance on Lexa's facial features, the slight pain that had slivered out from underneath her mask of indifference. Clarke brought her hands to stroke Lexa's cheek. "You don't have to talk about it." She said softly. "You're here, with me now. You're not there." There being the hot, dusty desert. The thought of Iraq, Afghanistan, it made Lexa's skin itch at the discomfort she had felt there.

Lexa's throat felt like it was closing up. Such emotions were long hidden, resting under mountains and layers of cold, calculated compartmentalization. Under false pretenses and callous charm, all the pain, the anger had laid dormant within her chest. Yet now, Clarke's devotion to her, her soft touches and care, it made Lexa feel the cracks in her armor. Any words she wished could leave her lips now did not make themselves present, and instead Lexa felt herself powerless under Clarke's intense gaze and fervent hands, raising goosebumps on her skin at her every touch.

"Clarke," Lexa started. She was having difficulty articulating her words with Clarke's movements above her, skin soft as flower petals as they made their way along her body. She steeled herself before she continued. "I have something important to tell you."

Clarke's hands stopped, and the blonde tilted her chin, rested it on Lexa's hip to meet her eyes.

"Clarke. You, I love you." Lexa whispered, the lilt at the end of the sentence making her voice low and uncertain. The words seemed to fog the air between them, and the brunette looked apprehensively at Clarke, waiting for her reaction.

"I love you too." Clarke said softly. The magnitude of this moment made Lexa quiver slightly in fear; never had she ever laid her heart bare before anyone before. Clarke slowly repositioned herself, bringing her body to drape over Lexa's. She placed a forearm on either side of Lexa's head, looking down at the woman before her.

Under Clarke's warm body, Lexa lavished the comfort, the familiarity of her weight above her. This feeling, of intense, burning fire in her chest was so unusual to her. She had never experienced it before, with anyone. With Costia, it had only been a mutual attraction that never came to fruition. She had neither had the opportunity, nor that someone who had loved her back in this way. It was a magnetic attraction, a fiery tempest tempered by gentle kisses in the night, in the simple touches at her skin.

Their lips met, tongues and teeth gnashing in fervor. This kiss was passionate and harsh, full of a desire to consummate their declared love. Lexa brought her arms around Clarke's waist, one hand drifting up to brush at the blonde's nipple. Clarke panted heavily as they broke the kiss, and Lexa peppered wet kisses along the woman's neck and collarbone.

"Make love to me." Clarke whispered into Lexa's ear, and with a few quick movements, their positions were reversed.

Lexa's hands drifted down Clarke's bare skin, down flesh toned through strenuous exercise and running. With great awe, Lexa touched, kissed, and licked at what skin she could place her own hands and lips on, making Clarke squirm with need and desire. A whisper of 'please' had Lexa refocus on the mission at hand.

Two fingers slipped into Clarke gently, and the woman let out a gasp as she adjusted to the feeling of Lexa's fingers inside her. Lexa dared not move, allowing Clarke to adapt to the sensation, but urgent hands squeezing her biceps signaled the appropriate transition. Lexa slowly began thrusting her fingers, one thumb teasing Clarke's clit. Clarke moaned, legs moving to wrap around Lexa's waist.

"Lexa, please, faster." Clarke pleaded between pants.

With practiced ease, Lexa adjusted so that her hips were positioned behind her hand, thrusting deeper and hitting that spot that drove Clarke crazy, hands raking at Lexa's shoulder blades. Lexa's thumb, massaging her clit, and her fingers moving deftly inside her had Clarke moaning heavily. She added a third finger, and her thrusts became faster, delving deeper, knowing Clarke was close. Lexa gave greater effort to her movements, sweat slick between them as they moved in tandem, until finally Clarke gave a deep moan, Lexa's name on her lips, toes curling and body arching off the bed and against Lexa's heated skin.

Lexa kissed Clarke's neck softly, holding the blonde's body as she went limp with exhaustion. Aware of her sensitivity, Lexa moved to remove her fingers, but a hand went down to stop her. Clarke looked up at Lexa, her features soft and naked.

"Stay." She said, her voice weak as she stated her request. Lexa nodded briefly, and ceased her retreat, her free hand brushing strands of damp gold hair away from Clarke's face as she rode out the last few seconds of her orgasm.

The brunette rolled them together so that Clarke was on top of her, allowing her a respite. The blonde rested her head against Lexa's chest, breathing hard as she recovered. Clarke released a breathy laugh, and Lexa felt the exhalation vibrate through her bones. Very gently, Lexa withdrew her fingers. Her wrist hurt, but she did not mind it at all.

The sky began to lighten, long fingers of blue reaching up, dark shades calling their retreat as the dark gave way to light.

"Look at that." Clarke said. "You kept me up all night." Her eyes were mischievous as she rested her chin on Lexa's collarbone, giving her a full view of the brunette's face. "How am I going to explain why I'm so tired today to my boss?"

"You could always just say you had amazing sex with your smoking hot girlfriend." Lexa suggested.

"Made love, you mean."

"That does sound more PG doesn't it?" Lexa smirked. Clarke pinched her waist at her comment.

"More romantic, and socially acceptable." She corrected. Lexa frowned at Clarke.

"When have you ever cared about being accepted by society?"

"True, I did move in with you of all people. My grandma was pretty disapproving." Clarke quipped. Lexa suddenly pushed Clarke down, positioning herself over her.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about Mrs. Griffin in bed."

"We did agree not to talk about family members in general, but not specific people." Clarke shifted up on her elbows, their faces only centimeters apart. "You have a secret crush on my grandmother, Lexa Arnold?" Lexa released a puff of air, scoffing. Clarke smiled at her response. "You wouldn't be the first person to notice though, she's got a nice body for her age."

"I've only ever wanted you. Besides, I prefer your body. Especially your ass."

"Are you objectifying me?" Clarke asked, their lips almost touching.

"I would not dare." Lexa smirked at Clarke. "I only seek to touch, to kiss every part of you, to devote my entire life to loving you."

"Careful there, I might have to ask for some hard proof." Lexa simply hummed in response, leaning down to draw Clarke in for one of many kisses she had earned this night.

\----

Lexa blew some air onto her cold hands, rubbing them together. She was perched on a rooftop in Manhattan, binoculars rested at the ledge of the apartment building. Her gun was a comfortable weight at her hip as she stood there, a solitary figure in the afternoon sun.

She had been staking out the street below, waiting. The details taken from Jaha's files had indicated a meeting today at 2:30 between one of the CEO's lackeys and a DIA-flagged individual linked to certain anti – American groups. It was 2. She had been here since 12:30, setting up some surveillance cameras and choosing a suitable lookout.

"So, got any plans tonight?" Anya's voice sounded through Lexa's earpiece. Lexa snorted.

"Is this just a subtle way for you to strong-arm me into letting you meet Clarke?" Lexa asked.

"Of course not!" Anya exclaimed. Then after a few heartbeats, "But now that you mention it, wow what a great idea!"

Lexa laughed. "If this thing checks out, and we bag that asshole down there come 2:30, I'll consider it."

"Hey!" Octavia exclaimed in indignation from her own comm. "How about me?"

"You're not the boss's best friend." Anya retorted. Then she chortled. "I can't wait to intimidate the pants off her. Of all people, you decide to date a lawyer. Bottom-feeding mud dwellers if I ever saw one."

"That's my girlfriend you're talking about." Lexa intoned as she lifted her binoculars to her face, scanning the busy street.

"And you're in loooooove with her!" Octavia chimed, and Anya chuckled along with the younger agent.

"You two are supposed to be watching the cameras, not gossiping about my relationship." Lexa reprimanded them sharply, but the corner of her mouth started lifting upwards. She was relieved that her fellow agents were set up downstairs in the main floor of the apartment, and not up here noticing the goofy grin on her face at just the thought of Clarke Griffin.

"Incoming." Lexa said suddenly as she observed the street. "Our guy's here. Black baseball cap, grey sweatshirt and jeans."

"Got it." Octavia said. The target walked across the intersection, coming to stand in front of the bank on the corner of the street.

"Lincoln, you ready?" Lexa asked.

"Affirmative." Lincoln said from where he was standing at the intersection of the street perpendicular to the target, casually pretending to read a newspaper. As if he was rushing to go somewhere on the other side of the street, Lincoln purposely but subtly walked into the target, bumping his shoulder. As he walked by, he discreetly placed a small tracker in the man's back jeans pocket.

Once he had walked a short distance to the west end of the street, Lincoln said. "Tracker's on."

Lexa watched as the target stood there waiting. She checked her watch. 2:29. She scuffed the heel of her boot on the ledge wall as she waited.

"Lexa, we're on a private line." Anya said suddenly.

"Okay."

"What have you found on the mole?" Anya asked.

"You're going to ask now?" Lexa asked, exasperated with the other agent.

"I can't let it go. It's my theory, and my theories are almost always correct." Anya reasoned. "And you agreed with me when I told you on Friday." She added.

"I've assigned Echo to shadow him since our meet last week." Lexa finally said, her eyes never leaving the man. She checked her watch again. 2:32. Where was the guy?

"And?" Anya asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, he goes to work, does his cover job, goes to HQ and turns in reports."

"So no shady meetings or messages?" Anya's voice was skeptical.

"No. Not yet at least." Lexa scanned both ends of the street, checking every pedestrian. She heard Anya sigh in frustration. "Listen, I'll keep Echo on him until next week and see what she can find, or else I'll deal with him myself."

Before Anya could reply, Lexa's eyes caught something. A biker, moving fast. He was drifting closer and closer to the sidewalk, and as he came nearer to the target, Lexa quickly switched comm channels.

"The biker, eyes on him." Just as she had said those words, she saw the target take a folded note from his pocket, and just as the biker was cycling by, Lexa caught him quickly insert the paper into the biker's satchel. Quickly, Lexa dropped her binoculars and rushed to the door leading down to the staircase.

"Alpha-1, who do I pursue?" Lincoln asked, already folding his newspaper. He was edging towards the cyclist, but he had to wait for his commander's orders.

Lexa jumped down three steps each, rushing to get down the five-story building. "Get a tracker on the cyclist. We need the note." She pushed her legs to run faster, and made it through the door on the main floor to rush through the lobby. "Anya, target's 20?"

"He's headed towards Fulton, eastbound." Anya replied quickly. "He's walking, you can catch him."

"No doubt." Lexa grunted as she pushed her way out of the building door. She searched for the black baseball cap, and once she saw him she pumped her legs forward to close the distance between herself and the man. Once she was only a few yards away, she slowed to a casual walking pace. There were too many civilians. He was intentionally walking into the crowd. Once he had walked further into the bustle of the busy street, he looked over his shoulder once. Catching sight of her, he immediately started running.

"He's on to you." Octavia yelled.

"No shit!" Lexa shouted as she immediately gave chase after him. The target lost the baseball cap and pelted through the street, pushing a few people down and shoulder checking a few others, leaving a pile up in Lexa's path.

Releasing a curse under her breath, Lexa dodged and jumped over some fallen people, rushing after him as if her life depended on it.

He turned the corner to a smaller street, and Lexa gave chase after him. She raced after him as he took a haphazard left turn down another street. This man did not quite know these streets, but Lexa had grown up here. She knew exactly where this street was leading, and it was to a dead end.

The target had seemed to notice, and he spun on the dime to take off down an alleyway. Lexa ran in after him, taking her gun out of the holster. He was cornered.

The man turned to face her, and he quickly pulled out a knife and hurled it at her with surprising accuracy. She ducked it with lightning-fast reflexes, and shot him on the left kneecap.

The man let out a howl of pain, collapsing on the ground as he clutched his leg. Lexa ran over to his fallen figure.

"Gonna run down a few more streets then, you asshole?" She grunted at him as she took out a zip tie from her pocket, bending down to pull his hands behind his back and tying them tightly around his wrists.

"Lexa, where are you?" Octavia asked.

"The alleyway at Macon, across from Potomac." Lexa glared down at the man, who was tearing up at the pain. "Maybe bring a few bandages, the target tripped and scuffed his knee."

"Heard that one before." Anya said sarcastically, which earned a chuckle from Lexa.

\----

"Aaron Moore, Australian-born citizen, with known connections to terrorist group Sector." Anya informed Lexa as they stood in the observation room, watching as Indra interrogated the target.

"Sector, the Australian Muslim group right? The extremists with ties to the Syrian groups?" Lexa asked.

"That would be the one." Anya replied. "Great running by the way, you accelerated fast out of the apartment."

"Thanks." Lexa smirked as they listened to the conversation in the other room.

"How long have you been in contact with William Anderson?" Indra asked the man. William Anderson, the other man that had been ID'ed as the biker. Lincoln and Octavia were following the tracking signal now, staking out his apartment as they spoke.

"Listen, I don't know who these guys are. I just do my job, I give them the papers and leave, every fourth Wednesday." Aaron said, his voice pained. "Can I please have some pain meds? My knee is hurting real bad." Since he was knocked out and blindfolded for good measure, the four agents had brought him into the DIA HQ for questioning. His knee had since been bandaged, but any other medical attention was yet to be determined.

"Let's see how adequate your answers are." Indra responded, her face cool. "Who tells you to meet the bikers on that day?"

"A guy named Quint. I swear I don't know anything else. I'm just a low-level guy okay? I haven't killed anyone before or did anything else. I'm just told to meet the guy."

"Fucker's telling us everything. It's like they have less of a backbone than in 2009." Lexa observed. Beside her, Anya chortled.

"Well you did shoot his kneecap, and dang if those hurt real bad." She mocked his voice, and Lexa grinned.

"Give me some useful information, and I'll see what I can do." Indra said, unimpressed with his lack of grit.

"I don't know anything okay? I swear."

"Here goes." Lexa said under her breath. Just as those words left her mouth, Indra rose from her seat and went around to Aaron's side of the table, and punched down, hard on his injured knee. He yelped in pain, and Indra sat casually on the edge of the table.

"I believe you must have heard me wrong. Information. Now." He was still gasping in pain, and Lexa counted to ten, and as she expected, Indra landed another hard blow.

"Fine! Fine! I'm told they're information about gun sales."

"Gun sales with whom?" Indra asked.

"With a man named Thomas Murphy! Please this is all I know I swear, please my knee is killing me!" Aaron screamed.

Lexa took a step forward and rapped her knuckles on the one-sided mirror pane. Indra got up and left the interrogation room, joining Lexa and Anya seconds later.

"Murphy's well known in the gun circuit." Anya said. "He's sold automatics to terrorist groups in Australia and the U.S."

"He's got a whole network." Lexa nodded. "Anya see if you can find out where he is right now. Indra, go check on Lincoln and Octavia."

"And Moore?" Indra nodded to the man.

"You can get him some medical attention now. If you have the time."


	8. Chapter 8

"What do you have on Thomas Murphy?" Luna's voice carried over from the video call. Her face was currently broadcasted over a projector, giving her full view of Lexa's team in New York.

Lexa, from her seat at one side of the conference table, nodded towards Anya to speak. At Lexa's side sat Lincoln, with Indra opposite him.

"I met him yesterday. He swears he never heard of any sort of arms dealing with Sector." Anya reported. Across from her, Indra let out a low growl of annoyance.

"Didn't Moore say that he was dealing with him?" Luna questioned.

"Perhaps he aims to deceive us with his feigned naivety." Indra snorted, crossing her arms.

"Or he's simply misunderstood, or forgotten the name of the dealer." Lexa said. "He has a son. John Murphy. It's not well-known, but he works for his father underground, acting as the executor of the business." She cleared her throat slightly.

"How soon can you get to the Murphy boy then?" Luna asked. "I have a deadline to meet, the General wants an answer now."

"I'll have to find evidence that Murphy's working with Jaha." Lexa explained.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Luna crossed her arms, looking annoyed at their lack of development in the case.

"Jaha keeps a small apartment complex in the Bronx. It's under his dead son's name. His second-in command, Byrne has been making several visits to the place."

"How did you find out about it?" Luna frowned. Lexa glanced at Anya, who nodded in confirmation.

"The information we managed to steal from his personal laptop contained a code in his daily schedule. After one of our technologically skilled agents, we managed to deduce that the code was an address." Lexa said. "That, and Octavia has been tracking Byrne for a few weeks."

"And what, do you expect to find there?"

"From the notations in his electronic calendar, hard evidence, such as arms dealing with Murphy. And, the name of the mole." Lexa nodded to Anya.

"Then get this information. I want this op done tonight." Luna said brusquely. "That is all. Lexa, Anya, I would like you both to stay. The rest of you may leave." At her words, Indra and Lincoln rose and exited the room with haste.

"What is this about?" Lexa asked.

"If the mole is in fact Agent Blake, I need you to find that out now. In hours if you can." Luna stated, cracking her knuckles.

"We hardly have any information besides what indicates Jaha might have some knowledge about Dragon Strike." Lexa protested.

"No we do have something." Anya interrupted. Lexa turned to glare at the older agent with surprise. "I saw him last night, while I was tracking the Murphy boy. They met up, had drinks together at a bar."

"Murphy's a link. Lexa this is a direct command. Bring Blake in and allow Indra to deal with him accordingly or deal with him yourself." Luna said firmly. "That's all. Report back to me once you've finished. Anya, you're responsible for updating me for tonight's op." With that said, the screen went dark and the message disconnected.

Lexa turned to Anya. "Are you lying or is this true that he met Murphy?"

"He did. Echo will likely tell you the same when she hands in her report in a few minutes time." Anya looked at Lexa, seeing the anger storm across her face. "Lexa, how do you want to deal with this?"

The other agent did not bother responding, standing and walking to the door. "To ask that question is not to know me." She threw over her shoulder as she stalked away.

\----

She was sitting in front of Bellamy's apartment building, turning off the ignition in her car. Lexa took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead restlessly. A part of her felt eager; the anger, betrayal, and deceit of one of her own team members to have sold them out made her want to rush in there and blow his brains out then and there.

From what Anya had found, it seemed as though he had gained information about Dragon Strike via daily reports, as if Blake had been working for him since then. A traitor from the beginning, a wolf in sheep's clothing ready to sell them out, to give their position to the Afghan extremists. If that information was true, then the debacle the failed mission, it wasn't on her, it was all on him. For five years, she had blamed herself for what had happened. She had been team leader, she chose to assassinate the extremists' commander that night. What she had not expected were insurgents ready and waiting for them the minute they had stepped into the compound.

She still could recall what had occurred. Costia took point, Costia was shot first; a fatal shot to the head the instant that she had stepped into the threshold of the house. Lexa could still feel the blood on her face, on her hands. It was blood she could not wash off, no matter how much she had tried.

After Costia went down, the team had been cornered. Luna's shouts, Bellamy's hands tightly gripping her shoulders as he tore her away from Costia's body, Anya reaching down to collect the woman's lifeless form. She recalled standing, jolting out of her stupor to assist her team in getting out, with Anya calling for backup. She remembered it, shooting their way out of there, taking a shot to her hip as she held out the rear of their group.

To find that this whole time, Blake had known, had been in Jaha's pockets this whole time, made her blood boil with anger. She wanted to rip his throat out with her bare hands. Of all men to get into bed with, Bellamy had been selling secrets since 2010 to an American mogul intent on watching the world burn, to cause chaos and turn on his own country.

Then, the other half of her remembered Bellamy as her friend, as a good man-at-arms that she had trusted with her life and had joked with numerous times. But then perhaps it was all just a role to play, to keep his cover. She still couldn't rap her head around it. Of all betrayals, she could not believe this.

She was jolted from her thoughts when her phone vibrated. She looked down, the screen had lit up with a message from Clarke. She did not read it, choosing instead to answer later, after she had dealt with Bellamy herself.

She steadied herself, and checked the pocket of her coat to ensure her silencer was on her person. With a deep breath, she unbuckled her seatbelt and made her way out of the car.

Lexa walked calmly through the doors of the building, nodding once to an old lady as she passed. She chose the stairs, and walked up to the ninth floor. She strode confidently to Bellamy's apartment door. Her body was charged with electricity, buzzing. Her years of practice, to keep her heart rate between 40 and 50 bpm before a kill, all that training went out the window. But she wasn't just going to kill him. She was going to make him confess, to everything. She wanted to know why.

Lexa knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Bellamy called. She heard his footsteps come over to the door. She plastered a smile so he could see it through the peephole.

"It's me." She answered, her voice sounding more pleasant than what she felt within herself.

"Lexa!" Bellamy opened the door with a wide grin. "Come on in!" Lexa smiled and walked in to the apartment. It was unsurprisingly, messy. There were bottles of Corona on the kitchen island, on the coffee table at the living room area. She surveyed the place, scanning for weapons as she casually strode over to the island.

"So what are you doing here? Came to visit me?" Bellamy asked as he closed the door and made his way to the kitchen. "You want a beer?" He started to reach for the fridge door.

At that instant, Lexa moved as he was bending down, banging his head against the cool fridge. Before he could even react, she swept his legs from under him and was on him, delivering rapid punches to his face.

"What the fuck?!" He shouted. Lexa groaned as he kicked her in the ribs, executing a flip-up to face her. She did not dare allow him any other hits, and she took out her knife from her boot, lunging at him.

He only managed to avoid the knife, his nose bleeding and broken, his lip split. Bellamy grabbed a nearby kitchen towel and wrapped his hand around it to defend himself and counter attack.

Lexa lunged forward again, striking several times and landing a few cuts on his side and undefended left hand. In retaliation, he grabbed an uncapped bottle of salt and tossed the contents at her face.

Lexa recoiled as a few grains of salt got into her eye. Bellamy took advantage of her distraction to tackle her to the ground. Her grip on the knife loosened when she had fallen, sliding on the hardwood floors and under the leather sofa. She instantly felt the kitchen towel wrap around her neck, and Lexa painstakingly snuck a hand through the towel, and she used her other hand, curled in a fist, to punch Bellamy hard in the eye.

He let out a shout of pain, and instantly she used her hand to rip the towel off of her neck, both of her legs kicking at his groin. Bellamy let out a groan of pain and fell on his side, and with great speed Lexa was on him, dealing numerous blows to the head, her anger and fury getting the better of her as she beat down on him repeatedly.

Suddenly, Bellamy used one fist to punch her hard in the ribs, and as she staggered back, staying on her feet, he also rose. Bellamy picked up one of the island stools and flung it at her. Lexa quickly jumped out of the way and grabbed the toaster from the island-top, throwing it at him reflexively. While he was ducking to avoid the household object, she rushed him, casting a roundhouse kick on his leg.

He grabbed her leg and attempted to break it, but instead she leaned forward and slammed her forehead into nose. Bellamy shouted in pain and released her leg, backing up a few steps from her.

They glared at each other. Blood poured from Bellamy's face, and he spat out a broken tooth. For her part, Lexa knew she at least had two broken ribs, and her eye felt slightly swollen.

"Why are you attacking me?!" Bellamy panted at her as she spat out a goblet of blood.

Lexa did not bother answering, instead choosing to attack again. She delivered a swift blow in his stomach, and as he lowered his arms in a boxer's stance of defense, she kneed him hard in the obliques. As he fell, she spat at him.

"You know why! You've been working with Jaha all this time!" She snarled at him, and she took her gun out from her holster, aiming it at his face.

"What?!" He looked and sounded incredulous. "I never worked with Jaha! Lexa I never even knew about him until you brought him up in the P.I. case five months ago!" He raised both his hands in the air, staying flat on his back before her.

"Then why is there evidence in his files? He knows about Dragon Strike, someone was reporting to him all this time!" Lexa shouted back at him.

"It's not me!" He screamed back. "How do you know it's not Luna or Anya?"

"Because they check out Blake!" Lexa snarled. "They check out, but you don't! Your history before the agency was redacted, you have no trail after your second tour in the army! You're the fucking mole, and you've been a fucking mole this whole time!"

"I'm not the mole!" He glared at her. "I'm. Not. The. Fucking. Mole." Bellamy looked up at her. What part of his features were not swollen, Lexa saw fear and undisguised shock. He genuinely seemed confused. But what if it was all an act, she thought.

"Prove it!" She shouted. "What did you do before the unit?"

"I was ASIS!" He yelled. "I used to be a double agent!" Lexa stared down at him in shock, the grip on her gun loosening. She breathed heavily, her chest heaving. Finally, she collected her thoughts.

"How long?" She asked. "How long have you been giving intel to ASIS? Since the unit?"

"2009, but not since 2011. Fuck, not after Dragon Strike." He said. His voice was lower now, one hand coming up to stifle the blood from his lip. "I've never worked with Jaha, I swear." His eyes were swimming with pain, but Lexa saw the truth in his brown orbs.

"Then how does Jaha know about Dragon Strike?" She asked him, glaring at his fallen figure.

"I don't know." Bellamy gasped, and Lexa could tell that he likely had a punctured lung when his breath came out wheezing. "I promise you Lexa, I don't know. Do what you will with me, but I will not go down as an accomplice to Jaha. Traitor, I am not." He looked Lexa straight in the eye. "I loved every member of our team, and I would never have sold any of them out. I did not kill Costia. Everything I did, I did it for my country first, but when I joined your team I defected. I came to trust all of you, and I'm loyal to the DIA now. Kill me if you must, but kill me knowing that I was and am always loyal to you."

Lexa glared down at him, the gun still pointing at him. She could kill him now, just squeeze the trigger and end his life. For all her anger and pain, she could not do it. He wasn't responsible. But more importantly, it was another life on her hands. Another living being whom she had ended, more blood on her hands that she couldn't wash off. She was breathing through her nose, and her grip tightened a fraction of a second on the gun. With a low curse, she lowered the weapon.

She saw Bellamy visibly relax at her movement. She glared at him for a few more heartbeats, then holstered her weapon and turned around, strides leading her to the threshold.

"What are you going to tell Luna?" He called after her.

"Nothing." She shouted as she opened the door and left.

Her legs led her back to her car, and she got in with great care. She sat in the driver's seat, trying to catch her breath. Her ribs radiated with pain, the left side of her face slightly swollen as she examined herself in the rearview mirror. She took out the cell that she used for the agency and called Luna. Once she picked up Lexa didn't bother with a hello.

"Blake's not the mole." She said. "He may be a lot of things, but it's not him." With that said, she ended the call and stared hard at herself in the mirror. She hardly recognized her own reflection. Lexa took a deep breath and steeled herself. She had to recollect her bearing, had to prepare for tonight's mission. She had to do what others didn't dare, what other people couldn't stomach, all for her country. Screw her country.

\----

Lexa quietly slipped into the Bronx apartment, her steps discreet as she made her way up the staircase. Her gun was a comfortable weight in her left hand as she climbed the steps. In her ear, she heard the chatter between Anya and Octavia from the van outside. The building had no security cameras, so she had not bothered covering her face. She was simply dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, a gun on her right hip, and a knife situated on her belt. It was a broken down, poor neighborhood, a four-story building, and any signs of life were not present. It was eerily quiet. Too quiet for Lexa's liking.

4B. She saw the number, and looked at the doorknob. She removed a pick from her belt, and set to work unlocking the door. Once she heard that familiar click of success, she replaced her tools, and slowly turned the knob, her gun at the ready.

The first thing she noticed was the dirty couch, and the burger wrappings from McDonalds. It also stank heavily of molding food. The living room and kitchen were clear, and after closing the door silently, she moved to investigate the other doors on the other side of the apartment. The first door was an empty bedroom, and the second was a bathroom. Lexa readjusted her grip on her gun and turned the knob of the third door. When she opened it, she immediately saw another person in the room.

Dressed all in black and wearing a mask over their face, the individual had their back to her. The person was standing in front of a file cabinet, and retrieved a flash-drive from its midst.

A creak from under Lexa's boot alerted the other person in front of her. The person turned to look at her, and Lexa raised her gun at them. Before she could say anything, the one-in-black made a beeline for the window. Lexa managed to get out one shot, but it missed as the person jumped through the window.

Lexa immediately rushed over to the window, and saw that the other person had raced up the fire escape ladder. Without much regard to her injured ribs, Lexa gave pursuit. She looked up and saw the other person just disappear over the roof of the building. Once she made it up there, she saw her target glance at her once before running to the edge of the roof, and with amazing athleticism, jump from the building and land on the roof of the building next to it.

"Shit!" Lexa growled and she immediately followed suit, her legs burning as she made the jump after them.

"What's going on?" Anya asked, and Lexa didn't bother replying until she had landed.

"Third party, jumping the roof." She said briskly as she ran after the other person. They showed great athleticism and precision. If she had to guess, she would say it was an agent from the tuck and roll that was performed, and the escape method.

"Identify and bring them in." Luna's voice suddenly was heard over the comm as Lexa pelted over to the ledge.

She watched as they jumped across to another building, and Lexa cursed under her breath as she followed. She caught up at the third building, and she raced over to tackle them down. Once her arms connected around their waist, she knew they were female.

The other woman lifted one elbow and hit her hard on the cheek, and as Lexa rolled away from the blow, she felt two jabs connect with her stomach. As the other woman was about to stand and run, Lexa reached out and grabbed her leg.

She pulled at them, and as she distracted her Lexa leapt up and attacked her side. The other woman led with her left foot as she took on a fighting stance, and attempted to sweep Lexa's legs.

Lexa only just managed to dodge her leg, and her own fist connected with the person's shoulder.

The two fought back and forth, and Lexa had to admit as her strength was beginning to weaken, that this woman was very skilled. She felt her ribs fracture after a particularly hard kick was delivered to her right side, and in a last ditch attempt, Lexa yet again tackled her.

They fell to the ground, and Lexa used her forearm to pin the other woman down by the throat. With her free hand, Lexa ripped off the mask covering their face. Her blood went cold at the sight.

"C-Clarke?" It was like her world had turned upside down. But before she could say anything else, she felt a sharp, biting pain in her abdomen, and she was pushed off by the blonde.

She looked down at her stomach and saw that Clarke had stabbed her with her own knife, and the last thing she saw was the blonde standing over her before she felt the woman punch her hard in the face, and suddenly darkness engulfed her in its ice-cold, black embrace.


	9. Chapter 9

The air seemed to hum with electricity, with an anticipation. Pathetic fallacy, when the weather seemed to mimic the emotions of people. She had learned that in English class, a long time in high school, and right now, Clarke was panicking. She had just stabbed and clocked her girlfriend. Not just her girlfriend too, the woman she was desperately in love with. Clarke wrung her hands together as she looked down at Lexa's unconscious form, pacing frantically.

Of all people to be involved in the world of espionage, her girlfriend, the private investigator, was an agent. She had not known when they first met, and she had never hoped for this moment to come. She had finally thought she had chosen the right person to spend the rest of her life with. She had hoped to retire and live a normal life with Lexa, maybe start a family together. But Clarke had certainly never expected to run into Lexa in Jaha's little hidden safe house. She had never expected that the seemingly most normal person in the world, in her life, was an agent. Everything about their life was a lie – but not just Lexa, she wasn't the only liar. It was the two of them; they had deceived each other all this time, playing a charade. She wasn't sure what Lexa was there for, though she suspected the mission was the flash drive she had stolen.

Of this Clarke was sure, was that Lexa was definitely either DIA or CIA. Her advanced Krav Maga techniques and movements revealed that much. The way she had fought, and the hard cool mask on her face, Clarke had hardly recognized her. It was the green eyes that gave her away though, in darkness of that room.

She bent down to check on her knife wound. It wasn't bleeding too hard, especially since she had kept the blade plunged in her flesh. The blood would only truly begin seeping if she pulled it out.

Quickly, she made up her mind when she heard Anya's voice over Lexa's earpiece. She reached over and pulled Lexa's phone out of her jeans pocket and texted Anya. Once she had completed the deed, she wiped the phone for prints and placed it back in Lexa's pocket.

She reached out to graze her fingers on Lexa's cheek. Clarke frowned when she experienced a dripping sensation on her own cheeks, and after bringing her hand up to her investigate, she found moisture on her fingers. She was wondering why there was water on her face when it wasn't raining, when she came to a realization. She was crying. Crying because her future now was uncertain, that the love of her life was lying injured before her.

Clarke thought to the times they had spent together, and at the back of her mind she wondered if Lexa had really loved her. She saw the look of surprise in her lover's eyes when she had recognized Clarke, but now she was questioning everything.

With a shaky sob, Clarke got to her feet and made a swift exit. Lexa's people would come soon, she would be safe. Clarke now had to make sure she was safely out of the near vicinity when it happened.

\----

Five Months Ago (January 4, 2015)

Location: Manhattan, NY

Time: 12:45pm

"Okay here's a more important question, Jets or Giants?" Lexa frowned at Clarke, raising an eyebrow as if the blonde was crazy. The two women were sitting together at Malatesta Trattoria, on their first official date since Barcelona.

It had been a week since they had come back. Since then, Lexa and Clarke had exchanged numbers, and have been texting back and forth over the week, working to find a good time to meet up in between their own work-related commitments. They had finally settled on meeting for lunch only two days ago. Once they had agreed, Clarke had been stressing out about what to wear, pestering her roommate Raven and her work friends Jasper and Monty for days.

Now that they were sitting here just the two of them, Clarke could hardly contain the giant smile that was threatening to conquer the majority of her face and make her look absolutely insane. But she couldn't help it, Lexa drove her crazy, gave her butterflies in her stomach every time those green eyes met hers. Her smile was what got Clarke though, gave her the shivers, captivated her in ways that no one had ever been able to.

"Should you even ask that question? It's Jets or nothing." Lexa said with a grin on her face. Clarke returned the gaze incredulously.

"Are you serious? The Jets are the worst!" Clarke said in protest. Lexa gaped at Clarke.

"Okay, no way. We're breaking up." Lexa shook her head, feigning heart break as she put a hand over the left side of her chest. "It was nice while it lasted, but clearly this relationship won't stand the test of time."

"Hey!" Clarke reached over to the other side of the table and swatted Lexa on the shoulder. "And I was just telling my roommate that you were sweet, charming, and considerate."

Lexa winked at Clarke, grinning. "I am, but to slander my favorite football team," She put a hand up to her mouth to gasp mockingly, "isn't that in the guide for dating, you're never to condescend over your date's interests?"

"Or maybe you're just a drama queen." Clarke replied, raising an eyebrow. Lexa leaned forward, reaching under the table to grip Clarke's thigh gently.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." She said, her voice low and seductive. "But this slight will not go unpunished."

"I'm very afraid." Clarke said lamely. She couldn't come up with anything else. Lexa's eyes were shining with mischief, her hand warm and pleasantly distracting on her thigh.

"Oh you should be. I plan on teaching you a lesson." Her words dripped with intent, and Clarke felt herself get excited as Lexa leaned closer to her. Then, as their faces were only centimeters apart, Lexa said. "I'm so going to destroy you in poker later." At Clarke's sudden confusion, Lexa grinned widely.

"That was almost too easy." Lexa laughed, leaning back on her chair, and Clarke immediately missed the contact of Lexa's hand on her skin.

"You're such a tease." Clarke complained, but she was smiling too. "And please, what makes you think I'm the type of girl to play poker with someone on the first date?"

"You don't?" Lexa looked at her with a mischievous smirk.

"No I do not, Lexa Arnold. I do," Clarke rested her elbows on the table as she leaned forward. "Engage in other activities though." Lexa cocked an eyebrow at her, and Clarke whispered "Especially, things with my ton – "

"Waitress, check please!" Lexa called loudly, and then lowered her voice so that only Clarke could hear her. "We should go before our conversation gets too R-rated."

"So let's go somewhere more suitable?" Clarke suggested, and Lexa nodded with a wink.

"It's like we've got a neurological connection Griffin." She quipped.

Clarke smirked at Lexa, just as eager to get back to their place as the other woman was.

\----

Two Months Ago (March 12, 2015)

Location: Manhattan, NY

Time: 2:20pm

"Lex careful, you're gonna throw your back out!" Clarke exclaimed, rushing to help her girlfriend with a heavy box she was currently occupied with.

"Please Griffin, I can handle it, it's not that heavy." Lexa grunted as she held the box with both hands. With Clarke's slight assistance, they lifted the box into the condo.

"Is that the last box?" Clarke asked.

"Yup." Lexa said as she put the box down in the hallway.

Clarke walked over to the living room, taking it all in. It was a two-story condo, two bedrooms upstairs, an ensuite bathroom in the master, hardwood floors. The open concept living room, kitchen, and dining room flowed naturally together, leading to the generous deck on the main floor. Boxes littered the floor, some stacked on top of each other. A white leather couch sat in the middle of the living room, facing a TV stand with the actual TV yet to be unpacked.

It was beautiful, and she and Lexa had fallen in love with it instant they had seen it on their run a month ago. Granted, they had only been dating a few months, but with Lexa it was as if they were connected on every level, falling into a familiarity once they were together. It was instantaneous, fulfilling, and Clarke was happier than she ever had been before.

She felt Lexa's arms encircle her waist, and the brunette peppered gentle kisses along her neck. Clarke grinned and leaned back into Lexa's strong body.

"Hey there." Clarke started quietly, and she felt Lexa's smile against her neck.

"Hi back." Lexa grinned, tugging Clarke closer to her. Clarke sighed happily.

"This is perfect." Clarke said, and Lexa hummed in assent.

"Yes it is, but you know what, there's this tradition that we're supposed to do whenever couples move into new places."

"Really, what's th-" Before Clarke even knew what had happened, Lexa had swept her up in her arms, lifting her bridal style. Clarke let out a shriek of laughter as Lexa staggered, exaggerating as she walked over to the couch and collapsed on it, with Clarke sitting on her lap.

"I'm living with a cheeseball!" Clarke laughed, burying her face into the crook of Lexa's neck. Clarke heard Lexa's chuckle through her chest, and she took Lexa's hand in hers, entwining their fingers together. Clarke rested against Lexa's chest, basking in the warmth of her lover, in the waves of happiness that currently coursed through her veins as she lay with her.

"We actually did this. We moved in together." Lexa disturbed their quiet suddenly. She shook her head, but she was smiling widely. "I still can't believe this."

"Because it's so soon?" Clarke asked, adjusting herself so she was straddling Lexa, taking the advantage of her elevated position by looking down at Lexa.

"No, because I've now got the hottest, smartest woman in my arms, to call my girlfriend."

"And for that you just might be getting lucky tonight." Clarke said, winking as she brushed her lips against Lexa's.

"Tonight is too far away." Lexa protested, and suddenly she had Clarke pinned on the couch with a grin. "And I think it is of utmost importance to christen the couch, give a little preview of the events to occur right here, and everywhere else in this building."

"You know what," Clarke linked her fingers together from around Lexa's neck, drawing her in for a kiss, legs wrapping around the brunette's waist. "I think that idea's too good to pass up."

\----

Present Day

The first thing Lexa felt when she started to wake was that she felt warm. She felt like she was being blanketed with marshmallows. Painstakingly, she opened her eyes. She was immediately met with a white ceiling. Frowning and confused, she took in her surroundings. She was in a hospital room. Lexa groaned slightly when she tried to sit up, feeling the pull of stitches and a dull pain on the left side of her abdomen. She frowned and looked down, and she was reminded instantly of what had transpired.

"Clarke."

"Huh?" Lexa's head snapped to the left side of her bed, and she saw Anya, slowly waking from what seemed to be a nap. Anya seemed to realize that Lexa was awake, and she immediately jumped from her chair, hands reaching out to rest on Lexa's shoulders, keeping her from squirming too much. "Clarke was here a few hours ago, she said she had to go back to work, but she'll be back soon." Anya explained.

Lexa frowned at her, disoriented and confused. "Wait, she was here? Where am I?"

"You're at Mount Sinai. She was here a few hours ago, like I said." Anya repeated soothingly, a hand coming up to brush a few strands of Lexa's brown locks from her face. "You got stabbed in the stomach, but it didn't hit any major organs, and a minor concussion, plus a nasty bruise on your forehead, but otherwise okay." Anya smiled at her comfortingly.

"The op." Lexa started, but Anya simply nodded.

"It's okay, try not to think about it right now." Lexa heaved a sigh, bringing up a hand to cover the side of her face as she tried to process everything that had happened to her.

"How long have I been out?" She finally asked. She felt Anya's hand take hers, rubbing her bruised knuckles gently.

"Ten hours." She replied. "You didn't bleed out too much. Whoever you saw in the apartment, they obviously didn't want to kill you."

Lexa frowned. It had been Clarke on that roof. She was the one to stab her, but obviously she did not mean to hurt her too badly. But what was she doing there? Was she affiliated with a friendly agency? Or was she working for Sector? There were too many variables, and she needed to find answers now.

"How soon can I leave?" She asked, and Anya raised an eyebrow.

"Doc suggested you stay the night at least." Anya scanned Lexa's face. "You know, you were really lucky. Whoever it is that attacked you, they sent a message with your phone, we managed to ping your location from that text before you bled out."

"They sent a message?" Lexa repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, they texted me with your phone telling us that you were alive but needed urgent medical attention." Anya said. Lexa's tired mind was scrambling. Then she remembered, as she had been knocked unconscious, she had felt gentle fingers trail along her cheek.

"I need to go." Lexa sat up, trying to hide a groan of pain.

"Whoa hold on there!" Anya protested. She placed both hands on Lexa's shoulders. "You literally just got stabbed. The team is already scouring the face of New York city looking for that flash drive. You can rest you know."

"No I can't." Lexa insisted, and she used one hand to rip the covers off of her body. "I have something to take care of."

"Lexa." Anya warned her, the tight grip on Lexa's shoulders sobering, waking her fully from her previous slumber.

"Anya, trust me." Lexa met Anya's eyes. "I have to do this. Let me go." They glared at each other for a few heartbeats until Anya finally relented.

"Fine." Anya growled, releasing her hold on Lexa's shoulders. "I just hope you know what you're doing." She stood. "I'm going to get the doctor to bring the release papers in."

Once she had left, Lexa quickly scanned the room for her belongings – chiefly, her phone. Very carefully, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and very slowly got to her feet. She let out a low groan as she felt the stitches pull slightly, and clenched her jaw.

"Miss Arnold, I would highly suggest you stay overnight for observation." The doctor said as he walked in. Lexa looked up at him and faked a smile.

"Sorry doc, I've got places to be, things to do." She said casually, and the doctor strode over to her to inspect the stab wound.

"It looks fine. I would highly suggest you not do anything too strenuous, or else you might pull your stitches and have to come back here." He said, taking the clipboard from the nurse beside him. He read the papers over once before handing them to Lexa.

Lexa did not waste her time reading it, taking the offered pen and signing quickly. "Thanks for the stellar medical attention doc, nice doing business with you." She said sarcastically in transparent dismissal.

Behind the medical staff, Anya couldn't stifle a laugh, which she turned into a cough when the nurse turned to glare at her.

\---

Lexa trudged through the busy street. She had parted ways with Anya after she had left the hospital, and was now making her way to Clarke's workplace. Clarke worked at Smith & Gold, a law firm in Brooklyn – well at least that had been what she had told her when they had first started dating. Now, Lexa was unsure. But this was the only lead she had. She had to find Clarke, on her own terms, and without anyone from the agency knowing. If they found out they would most definitely hunt her down with likely lethal methods. As much as the shock had been at finding Clarke there last night, she would never put her in harm's way. She still loved her, despite what her head was telling her.

Even though the blonde had stabbed her – non-fatally – Lexa could not deny that she still loved Clarke more than she could even comprehend.

As she finally made her way up to the office doors, she brushed into the building, her left arm down shielding her injury. She walked up to the elevator and got in. Her right hand felt at the gun at her hip, hidden underneath her leather jacket. She had told herself that by the time she got to the office she would decide what to do when she saw Clarke. She had thought such things the instant her shoe touched the concrete sidewalk outside the hospital. Yet now, standing in the elevator, she still was at a loss for the appropriate action to take.

The elevator's chime told her she had reached the 12th floor, and she stepped out onto the floor. She made her way to the secretary directly in front of the elevator doors, approaching with a confidant stride.

"Hi there, I'm looking for Clarke Griffin?" Lexa asked the female secretary with a polite smile. The woman looked up at Lexa from her computer monitor.

"I'm sorry Miss, she's taken some vacation time, she won't be in the office for a week. Would you like to leave her a message?" The secretary asked helpfully.

"No." Lexa turned and walked back to the elevator without a second glance. Now what? She stood in the elevator, thinking about what her next move should be.

\----

Two Weeks Ago

Location: Central Park, NY

Time: 4:30pm

"Give me some of mine." Lexa requested. Clarke, from her position on Lexa's back, held the ice-cream cone out to her lover's face. They had met up after work to go out on the town and walk the park together. At some point after they had gotten ice-cream, Clarke had leapt on Lexa, which explained their current predicament, with Lexa piggybacking Clarke as they strolled along the semi-empty street.

Clarke smirked, and as Lexa was licking the ice-cream, purposely shoved the cone into the brunette's face. The cone promptly fell to the ground, and Clarke was already laughing.

"Hey!" Lexa turned her head to glare at Clarke in mock-anger, her mouth and nose now covered in strawberry ice-cream. "You're so going to get it." She dropped Clarke, who landed on her feet and instantly made a break for it. Lexa chased after her, ignoring an elderly woman's scowl as she finally caught Clarke in her arms.

Lexa planted a sloppy kiss on Clarke's cheek, her nose and finally her lips, covering them both in a sticky, sugary mess.

"Ew!" Clarke complained once they had broken away, but she was grinning widely. She pulled Lexa by the neck to draw her in for another kiss. They were acting like lovesick, hormonal teenagers on a Friday afternoon in Central Park, and she couldn't get enough of it.

Once they broke away, Lexa encircled Clarke's waist, giving her a peck on the cheek. "You are ridiculous." She said, smiling at the blonde. "I just wanted some ice-cream."

"Don't complain, you got something much better than ice-cream." Clarke winked, and Lexa snorted at the cheesy line.

"Right, and you said I'm the cheeseball?" Lexa grinned. Clarke pulled out some napkins, wiping Lexa's face of the remnants of the sticky substance.

"Well maybe you've turned me into one." Clarke said, looking at Lexa with those eyes that just made her want Clarke right there. With one hand on Clarke's face, Lexa kissed her heatedly.

"Let's go home. I want some more sweet stuff." Clarke laughed at Lexa's words, allowing herself to be dragged across the street by the brunette.

"Sooo cheesy!"

\----

She had decided on returning to the condo after she had walked around Central Park, trying to figure out how to find Clarke. Everywhere she walked though, it was like Clarke was right there. Memories of the two of them on their numerous escapades on the town swam across the forefront of Lexa's mind. As hard as she tried, she couldn't erase these happy memories. Lexa was tired, her knife wound was seeping, and she was pretty sure the stitches had been ripped sometime between Livingston and Hoyt Street. Lexa used her right hand to fish her keys out of her pocket before unlocking the door. She stepped inside and shut the door loudly. Right now, all she wanted was a scotch.

Throwing her keys on the side table, Lexa limped carefully through the hallway. What she was not prepared for was Clarke, sitting in the living room. Lexa tried to hide her surprise, one hand drifting down to her holstered weapon. The blonde was sitting on the armchair, her gun symbolically perched on the coffee table.

"Lexa you're bleeding." Clarke motioned at Lexa. The brunette glanced down and saw that a trail of blood had indeed made its way through her blouse, and was dripping down onto the hardwood floor. Clarke stood, concern etched upon the contours of her face. She looked as though she wanted to walk over to Lexa, to inspect the wound. Lexa however, had another idea.

"Don't even move." Lexa quickly drew her gun, training it on Clarke.

"Lexa-" Clarke started, but before she could, Lexa beat her to it.

"Who are you with?" Lexa snarled at her. "Which agency, CIA, MI6?" Clarke recoiled at her harsh tone, but she seemed to harden as she responded.

"ASIS." Clarke said quietly. "Australian Secret Intelligence." Lexa inhaled slowly. She should have known, given Bellamy had also hailed from ASIS. "And you Lexa?"

"DIA." Lexa grunted. Clarke looked at her, but the sharpness of Lexa's gaze made the blonde lower her gaze to the sheepskin rug lying between them.

"Lexa, you're badly wounded, let me – "

"Did you know?" Lexa cut her off sharply. "Did you know I was an agent?" She asked. Clarke's blue eyes were swimming with tears, and despite the twinge of guilt in her stomach, Lexa continued. "Was I just part of the mission? To lay low as an agent's girlfriend, and find intel? The fucking was just an added bonus wasn't it?"

"No Lexa. I didn't know." Clarke looked at Lexa. "Lexa, I never knew." Her last words tore from her throat, reining in a sob. "It wasn't a mission, and it wasn't a ploy. I was with you because you made me laugh, and because I fell in love with you." A solitary tear fell from Clarke's eyes, making a trail down her cheek. "Lexa, you were not part of the plan, but you came into my life unexpectedly, and even if I wanted to stop myself, I fell for you."

Lexa met Clarke's intense gaze. She sighed, the barrel of her gun lowering. They were silent for a few heartbeats. Then Lexa frowned. "Are you not to ask me the same question?" She asked.

Clarke looked at her, the corner of her mouth turning upward slightly. "I knew you did not know once you saw my face." Despite the somewhat tense situation, Lexa returned the smile.

Lexa looked at Clarke, and it was like she was being reminded of why she had fallen in love with her in the first place. She had a fire to her, burning fierce and regal, like a lion. But she had to know. Before she could ask however, Clarke beat her to it.

"Was it real?" The blonde asked her. "Our relationship…your love for me?" Lexa felt as though Clarke was staring into her soul, and she was powerless and weak to it.

"All of it, everything…it was real." Lexa met Clarke's eyes, her gaze gentle. It was a few heartbeats until she added, "And it still is." Lexa responded truthfully. Truthfully was the only way she could speak before Clarke.

Clarke took a small step forward. Lexa allowed her to come closer, the grip on her weapon loosening until it fell to the ground. Clarke took another step, and Lexa could count each small freckle on the bridge of her nose.

"It's a good thing then," Clarke said, "that we're not working for competing agencies." There was a lilt at the end of her sentence, and Lexa let out a low snort of laughter.

She wanted Clarke to close the distance between them, but she knew that the blonde was trying to respect her own stubbornness and pride. Lexa could feel her strength leaving her though, could feel the pain in her wound like she had just been stabbed.

Then Clarke was standing inches away, steadying her with an arm around her waist. "Easy there." Lexa relaxed into Clarke's hold, her legs feeling limp. Her entire weight collapsed against Clarke, who held her staunchly in her arms. They were very close; Clarke's lips were but a hair's breadth away.

Lexa was leaning forward to meet Clarke when the pain suddenly pierced her with great fervor. She felt the loss of blood wear upon her like a heavy suit of armor. She closed her eyes momentarily, and her body was being manipulated, Clarke's arms lowering her down to the ground, adjusting so that she rested Lexa's head on her lap.

"Hey, just stay with me for a minute." Clarke said softly, her hands stroking Lexa's face gently. Lexa opened her eyes to see Clarke's face, and she smiled despite her current state. "Just keep your eyes open, okay?" Lexa blinked twice to acknowledge her words, and Clarke cautiously retracted herself from Lexa, moving to retrieve two cushions from the couch before she returned. Clarke gently lifted Lexa's head to place the cushions under her.

Clarke reached down to lift Lexa's blouse, intent on examining the wound. She peeled away the gauze to inspect the stitches. "Love, your stitches are torn."

"That sucks." Lexa joked, laughing weakly. Clarke glared down at her sternly.

"It's lucky for you that I've got some experience at such skills." Clarke reprimanded her. Lexa's eyes were soft as she admired the woman above her.

"Lucky that I've got you? Even though you were the one to stab me in the first place?" She remarked. Clarke pinched her waist affectionately.

"I just needed to incapacitate you so I could get away." Clarke argued. "I made sure not to stab you in your vital areas, and once you were knocked out I texted Anya and made sure they could find you." Lexa felt nimble fingers at her wound, and her tiredness was finally getting to her. Her eyes fluttered for a second, and Clarke soothed her with a soft kiss on her hip."Go to sleep." She raised a hand to brush her fingers on Lexa's jaw. "I'll be here when you wake."

"I need to know," Lexa began. She would not surrender to rest, not until she had her answer. "How am I to trust you, after all this?"

"Then don't," Clarke said softly. "Let me earn your trust." She bent down to gently kiss Lexa's forehead, soothing the ache in her temple.

Clarke's beautiful blue eyes were the last Lexa saw as she gave in to her weariness, the blonde's name on her lips like a prayer.


	10. Chapter 10

When Lexa woke, she was lying flat on her back. She looked around, and remembered. She was sleeping on the floor in the living room. There was a warm comforter draped over her, likely given to her by Clarke sometime in the night. Lexa felt the blonde snuggle into her side, and she smiled weakly.

The blonde looked relaxed, at peace as she slept. The curtains of her silky blonde locks cascaded across Lexa's shoulders.

From the floor-to-ceiling windows, Lexa saw the morning sun peak over the horizon, waves of sunlight bathing them in an orange glow. For the first time in a week, Lexa felt truly content. It was their own bubble of calm, a respite from the insanity outside these walls. As was tradition however, peace did not last long.

Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, and Lexa carefully pulled it out to see who was calling her at this hour. It was Luna.

"Who is it?" Clarke asked sleepily. Lexa debated lying, but elected instead on telling the blonde the truth.

"It's my boss, the Colonel." Clarke sat up so that she was looming over Lexa, who remained on her back.

"Are you going to answer it?" She asked quietly. Lexa examined the blonde's features. She looked like she was tightly embracing the warm fingers of sleep, her hair a mess and the t-shirt she was wearing rolled up in her sleep, revealing tanned skin underneath. She was beautiful.

"I don't know." Lexa confessed. She let Clarke take the phone from her hand, and watched as the blonde rejected the call for her.

"There." She looked at Lexa with a grin. "You can call her back later." Clarke reached down to brush her fingers along Lexa's cheek. Her hands were warm and gentle against Lexa's skin, all her love and affection conveyed through her touch. "You're still very weak, you to need rest."

"I'm not an invalid, I can answer a call." She protested, though she simply watched as Clarke slid her phone out of reach.

Clarke winked and moved down to check on Lexa's wound. She lifted Lexa's shirt, peeling off the gauze to examine the stitches she had done with her own hands after the brunette had fallen asleep.

"How's it look doc?" Lexa asked. "Am I gonna make it?" Clarke swatted her hip.

"Don't even joke about it." She said. "And it's looking way better." Lexa smiled at Clarke's touch.

"Clarke –" Suddenly, there was a low growling sound from her stomach, and Clarke grinned.

"Whatever you wanted to say, hold it until after I fed you." The blonde got to her feet, pulling the covers over Lexa. "Pancakes?"

"Yours are the best." Lexa grinned, and Clarke winked again as she made her way to the kitchen. Lexa watched her walk, noticing the shorts she was wearing, leaving very little to the imagination.

"Are you staring?" Clarke called over her shoulder as she opened the fridge doors to grab some milk.

"What can I say, you're kind of serving yourself up on a silver platter." Lexa argued.

"Uh-huh."

\----

"So that weekend in the Berkshires, what were you actually doing?" Clarke asked before popping a grape in her mouth. She and Lexa were sitting at the kitchen island, sipping on coffee and trading missions.

"Assassination, the guy died of 'natural causes'." Lexa grinned as she recalled that mission. "I stabbed him with a coagulant, made it look like deep vein thrombosis."

"The Miller case was you?" Clarke said in surprise. "Damn!" She snapped her fingers while Lexa smiled around her mouth full of pancake. "We've heard all about this legendary top agent before, and it turns out to be you." She grinned, and Lexa felt a sense of pride that her reputation had reached even Australia.

"Yup." She held up her thumb and index finger of her left hand. "I broke these two fingers in another mission in Rio." Clarke grinned and pulled up her shirt to point to the ribs on her right side.

"See the scar here?" Lexa leaned forward from the stool to peer at it.

"I thought you said it was a car accident." She raised an eyebrow at her. Clarke smirked.

"Yea, a car accident that I caused in Melbourne." Clarke grinned. "I was taking out a drug lord's son, but I had to make it look as accidental as possible."

"And that must be sooo accidental." Lexa rolled her eyes, smirking.

"Hey! It's Australia, shit happens." Clarke defended herself, pinching Lexa's bicep. "People die by kangaroo every day, it's an epidemic." The brunette simply smiled and used one hand to bring Clarke's face inches from hers to give her a peck on the lips.

"Well it doesn't matter, you're hot. It's all good if you just don't have my brains, you can be the hot one for both of us." Lexa said once she withdrew.

"Excuse me?" Clarke looked at her, gasping. "If I recall correctly, I was in Jaha's hideout before you."

"Okay fine, you got me on that." Lexa relented.

"By the way, my mom," Clarke began.

"Abby?" Lexa asked, and Clarke nodded.

"That's right." Clarke examined Lexa's face for a heartbeat before she continued. "The whole time, you know how you said she's given you shade? You're right, she never liked you." Lexa laughed loudly.

"I knew it! I knew it the minute she met us for dinner at the Marriot that night!" Clarke shook her head, grinning. "What took you so long to figure that out?"

"She openly told me when I reported back to her last night." Clarke admitted, and Lexa's jaw literally dropped.

"She's ASIS too?"

"My handler, and SO." Clarke corrected. Lexa seemed to collect herself, and she blew air out of her lips loudly.

"Well, remind me never to cross her. She must be packing."

They were sitting there chewing for a few more minutes before Lexa decided to ask a question that had been burning at the back of her mind for a few hours. "So what was your mission here?"

Clarke swallowed the piece of pancake she had been chewing before she answered. "Jaha, especially his involvement with Sector."

"Makes sense." Lexa nodded. "So you were there for the same flash drive." Clarke hopped off the stool and walked over to the couch, pulling the drive out from her jacket and tossing it to Lexa. The brunette caught it and inspected it.

"I was supposed to find some evidence that Sector and Jaha were in bed together, weapons transactions and meth." Clarke explained as she sat down again next to Lexa and speared a piece of cantaloupe with her fork.

"And did you?" Lexa asked as she examined the object, twirling it around her fingers. Her other hand reached out for her coffee mug, but frowned sorrowfully at its empty state.

"I found enough in there to warrant legitimate government intervention." She looked at Lexa. "But you know," Clarke finished chewing before she continued talking, "the DIA should be aware of ASIS investigating. My superior called yours weeks ago to ensure we had clearance."

Lexa frowned. "Maybe I should ask Luna about it." She said after taking a gulp of coffee from Clarke's mug. Clarke gazed at Lexa for a few heartbeats, and the brunette grinned slightly. "You have your thinking face on." Clarke returned the smile.

"Here's what I'm thinking," Clarke started, "And if you think it's crazy, we can just pretend I didn't say it, but," Clarke averted her gaze to her plate, steeling herself before looking up at Lexa. "Why don't we work together on this? Our agencies already know that there are two of their operatives on the case, they must have considered that we'd run into each other. We might as well share all our intel and catch Jaha together."

Lexa looked at Clarke, and for the life of her she was extremely tempted to say yes. "We'd need to get clearance from both our superiors though." She stalled as she thought.

"Then call her back." Clarke said simply. "ASIS was already prepared to launch a joint investigation with the DIA but your General was highly against it."

"What makes you think he'll green-light it now?" Lexa asked, perplexed. Clarke grinned.

"You're one of their top agents, of course they'll say yes now that I've got you in my pocket." Lexa rolled her eyes at Clarke's words, and then reached over from her own stool to pull Clarke onto her lap.

"Hmm, it looks more like I've got you in my pocket." Lexa whispered into Clarke's ear, one hand going down to pinch the blonde's rear teasingly. Clarke bit Lexa's shoulder lightly, her legs locking themselves around the brunette's waist.

"Sure, but I know how – and where – to press your buttons." Clarke breathed, her lips hot on the side of Lexa's head, her tongue flicking out to tease the shell of her ear. Lexa felt herself getting very turned on, and she swallowed thickly.

"I really want you." Lexa growled, her voice low with lust. She could feel Clarke's grin as the blonde pressed her face against the curve of her neck, leaving wet kisses along its length.

"I'm all yours." Clarke responded, her breath hot against Lexa's skin. At her words, Lexa stood up, knocking the stool down in her speed. With little regard to the kitchenware, Lexa pushed plates and utensils aside to seat Clarke on the countertop. One quick movement had Clarke naked from the waist down, and Lexa felt the warmth she was emitting between her legs. She was absolutely ready for her, and it drove Lexa crazy.

Clarke's hands went to the buckle of Lexa's jeans, dragging them down with some help from the brunette, who flung them out of the way with a flick of her leg. Lexa's hand instantly reached up under Clarke's shirt to give her breast a firm squeeze. She was rewarded with a moan at her antics, with the blonde rolling her hips against Lexa heatedly.

Their clothes were flung haphazardly across the room, the sounds of panting and slick wet skin pressed against each other invading the condo. Lexa's hand trailed down to Clarke's entrance, teasing her. Just as she was about to enter her, Clarke reached down to pause her movement. Lexa looked up at Clarke, whose blue eyes were dark with want.

"Take me from behind." Lexa obliged immediately, helping the blonde turn. She entered her with two fingers, the instant reward being Clarke's low moan. She began a steady rhythm, felt Clarke rolling her hips to meet her hand as she thrust deep, hitting that spot that she knew drove Clarke mad.

She came fast, and suddenly, releasing a noise that Lexa only heard when in the bouts of heavy lovemaking. Lexa held Clarke, steadying her as she recovered, shaking from the intensity of it all. Lexa was breathing heavily, slowly removing her fingers from Clarke. The blonde turned to face her then, and she took Lexa's lips in a searing kiss. She led Lexa to the couch, nudging her gently to walk backwards until the back of her knees hit the leather material.

Then Clarke was on top of her, then lowering to taste her in her mouth. Lexa's hands tangled in Clarke's hair, her legs spread wide to allow her more access. Clarke's skilled tongue and fingers drove her over the edge, and she moaned the blonde's name as she came. Above her, Clarke licked her fingers clean and made her way up to settle her head against Lexa's chest, listening to the sound of her heart beating strongly against her ear.

Lexa laughed breathlessly, and Clarke grinned. The blonde kissed Lexa's sternum gently, a hand coming up to sooth the skin that she had marked in her journey south of the brunette's head.

"You're a piece of work." Lexa whispered quietly. "First, you suggest that we work together, then you seduce me to get your way." Clarke stroked her way up and down Lexa's abdomen, careful to avoid her wound.

"Please, you initiated it." Clarke shot back as she rested her chin on Lexa's chest to get a better view of the brunette's face.

"Fine, maybe a little bit. But you're just too attractive; I can't stay away from you or your fine ass." Clarke grinned and leaned over to kiss Lexa sweetly.

"And don't you ever forget that." The blonde joked before leaning against her again, resting her head on Lexa's bare shoulder.

Lexa was catching her breath, eyes fluttering shut as Clarke gently kissed her way around her collarbone, when she heard the sound of her phone vibrating again. She sighed heavily. Clarke smirked and pecked her on the nose.

"Well, if that's your boss, what are you going to say to her?" Clarke asked, propping her head up with her elbow to look over Lexa, genuinely concerned now about what the brunette was going to say. The other woman opened her eyes with a groan, the wheels in her head turning as she deliberated. Finally, she settled on a decision.

"There's more benefit to an alliance with your agency, than to turn away the help. Besides," She sat up slowly, feeling Clarke's eyes on her as she got up and walked across the room, bending down to collect her phone. "You did get the flash drive first."

\----

Lexa and Clarke stood side-by-side in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge, waiting for Luna. The Colonel had agreed to meet Lexa here, although she was unaware that the ASIS agent would also be present. They were both dressed for the cold conditions, Lexa having lent her leather jacket to Clarke while she wore a thick sweatshirt.

Clarke rubbed her hands together, her breath visible in the crisp mid-morning air. She bounced on the balls of her feet to try to get warm, and Lexa noticed the movement.

The brunette gently put an arm around Clarke's jacket-clad shoulders, rubbing them to create some friction. Clarke shot Lexa a look of gratitude, a twinkle in her eye as she met Lexa's eyes.

"Thanks babe." She said. Lexa merely nodded, and reached over to take one of Clarke's icy cold hands in hers.

"You should've brought some gloves." Lexa scolded her, her breath puffing out, casting a fog around them. Clarke didn't bother responding, choosing instead to lean against Lexa's extremely warm body. Then she saw someone walking from the other side of the Bridge.

"I think she's here." Clarke warned Lexa, correcting her posture and standing straight to get a better look. Lexa followed her lead, peering out to where Clarke indicated with a nod.

"That would be her." Lexa confirmed. The Colonel power-walked over to them, dressed in a heavy trench coat and wearing high-heeled boots, looking irritated to be out here in the cold New York weather.

"So would you like to tell me why I've flown out here in the God-forsaken weather to meet you when you could have just answered my damn phone calls?" Luna asked as she planted herself before the two agents. Lexa crossed her arms, standing slightly in front of Clarke.

"I'd like to know why you didn't tell me that Australian intelligence was also on Jaha's trail." Lexa said calmly. Luna's face showed surprise, and then she looked at Clarke, and everything seemed to click in her mind.

"So you're their operative on the ground. The one on the roof." Luna finally said, nodding to Clarke and giving her a once over. Lexa clenched her jaw and stepped forward.

"So you did know. Why wasn't I told about this?" Lexa growled. Luna turned her finally, and met her angry gaze.

"Because I wasn't sure how far along they were in the investigation, and because the General wanted to catch Jaha first." Luna replied. She reached in the pockets of her coat, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. She held out the pack to Lexa and Clarke, who both denied the offer simultaneously. Luna shrugged, pulling one from the pack and lighting it calmly. She inhaled, puffing a few times before she spoke again. "Seeing as the two of you are together, I assume you're really here to propose a temporary alliance?" Luna's sharp brown eyes flitted from her agent to the ASIS operative.

"I heard you didn't want to agree to it before." Clarke spoke up. "You seem to be okay with it now, why?"

"Because you have the flash drive." Luna answered, the cigarette between her fingers as she exhaled. "And it seems that you have some more intel that my team has not yet found." She glanced at Lexa. "Given the circumstances, the General has agreed to work with your agency, on the condition," She looked from Clarke to Lexa, "that Jaha be dealt with by American authorities."

"What do we get then?" Clarke countered. Luna nodded, puffing a few times before answering.

"You get the Sector." Luna pointed the cigarette at Clarke. "We get your files on Jaha, and you get ours on the Sector and on their head, Quint." She flicked her cigarette over the side of the bridge.

"I want confirmation that we get this deal." Clarke pressed. Luna stared at her, and they simply glared at each other for a few heartbeats. Then Luna laughed heartily.

"I like this one Lexa, we should keep her around." Luna pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed. Lexa shared a glance with Clarke, and she reached over to take the blonde's hand in hers, squeezing it gently and nodding.

"General, this is Colonel Delmar, the Australians did get to it first. Sector for Jaha. Got it." Luna ended the call and turned away from the agents to rest her hands on the railing, looking out over the water. "Operative, you should receive a new directive from your SO in minutes." She looked down at the passing ships, the hustle and bustle of the city around them. "It's a beautiful day Major. Make sure you enjoy it." Luna pulled up the collar of her coat before casually strolling away.

"Well she was right. I got the green-light, we're working together in this." Clarke said as she re-read the message sent to her phone.

However, Lexa wasn't paying attention to the blonde, instead she was watching Luna's retreating figure in the cold, a solitary figure in the desolate sidewalk. "That would have been me." She murmured.

"What?" Clarke asked, turning to face Lexa.

"Luna. I would be in her position, if I hadn't taken the deep cover assignment after Dragon Strike." Clarke frowned at Lexa, confused.

"Dragon Strike?" Lexa scuffed the heel of her shoe on the concrete, looking down at her toes before she met Clarke's inquisitive gaze.

"It was a mission in Afghanistan. I was in charge of orchestrating an assassination on a war lord. I collected the intel and did the recon myself, because I micromanage. We decided on that night because the compound he was living in would experience a guard change, and because his wives were out of town for the weekend." Lexa released a breath, shaking her head as she recalled it.

"Your hands." Clarke said suddenly, gesturing. Lexa looked at them; they were trembling uncontrollably, despite her attempts to control her body's chaotic response to the memory. She moved to shove them in her pockets, but then Clarke reached out to take them in her own.

Clarke took both of her hands, lifting them up to her lips as she kissed each knuckle. Lexa relaxed under the sensation, and Clarke looked up to meet her eyes reassuringly, which encouraged Lexa to continue.

"We went in there. We were a team, Costia, Bellamy, Anya, Luna, and I. Costia insisted on taking point that night." Lexa released a shaky laugh, but as it came out from her body it sounded more like a sob. Then Clarke's hand went to rub her back gently. "She was shot the instant her boot touched the threshold."

"Ambush?" Clarke asked, her voice melodious and quiet, encouraging Lexa to open up.

"Someone tipped them off, they knew we were coming. They tripled the guard. They were ready to take us, dead or alive. It was a bloodbath." She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the sounds of gunfire, of blood splattering the walls as she remembered.

Clarke was silent, comforting Lexa in the only way she knew how – her lips on Lexa's forehead, arms around her shoulders as she trembled.

"I'm sorry." Lexa whispered after a few minutes, and Clarke was perplexed.

"About what?" She asked gently, tilting Lexa's chin to meet those stormy green eyes.

"About getting you into this. I know what it's like to carry baggage, and now you have to bear the weight of it on your shoulders too." Clarke shook her head even before Lexa finished speaking.

"No Lexa. You're not alone. You don't have to carry this by yourself, not anymore." She leaned close, resting her forehead against Lexa's. "You're not alone." Lexa sighed, but after a heartbeat she began to nod in agreement. They stayed in that position for a good while before Lexa had to interrupt it.

"We're going to find Jaha, and he's going to answer for everything."

"Lexa."

"A storm is coming. Let's get ready for it." Lexa looked at Clarke, meeting her eyes. Within them, they waged a war, and after almost drowning in their never-ending depth, the blonde finally nodded.

"Together." She agreed.


	11. Chapter 11

"They're planning their next meeting at this warehouse in lower Manhattan." Clarke said as she pointed with her index finger towards the time table projected onto the screen. Lexa stroked her chin as she listened to the agent brief them. Across from Lexa, Anya caught her gaze to flick her chin to indicate Clarke, whose back was turned to them, and gave her two thumbs up and wink. Lexa rolled her eyes at Anya, giving her a reproachful glare, while Indra ignored the two younger agents in favor of listening to Clarke's briefing.

"Security will be very tight, our informants in the field told me this morning that it's going to be Jaha, Quint, and their number three's." Clarke continued. She changed the slide to a blueprint of the warehouse. "Jaha's guys are going to be on the north side of the building, five on the roof and ten on foot around the perimeter." She gestured with a hand to point at the east side of the structure. "There's going to be at least five over here, watching the getaway cars, Sector lackeys."

"Wait a minute, how do you intend on getting in there then?" Lincoln interrupted. His arms were crossed as he got a better look of the slide. "If there's going to be so many boots on the ground as you say, it's going to be pretty hard to get any hard evidence, or Jaha for that matter."

"We'll have to ambush them," Indra suggested. "I can take my team, they can blast through the west side of the warehouse like a piece of paper."

"Which is why that's not a good idea." Clarke cut in, earning a glare from the senior agent. "An ambush is extremely obvious, and expected. It would be a hammer against a gong." Indra scowled at Clarke's words, the latter of which turned to meet Lexa's eyes, who nodded to her. "I'm proposing a two-man op."

"That's ridiculous!" Indra growled. "We want Jaha, and you want Quint, the best way to do it is to box them in so they can't escape."

"Or we take down most of their guards and capture Jaha and Quint by taking them by surprise, with Linc outside providing air support." Lexa countered. "A scalpel instead of a hammer, quiet and subtle to get the work done quick."

"I agree with Lexa's proposal." Luna said from the other side of the room, her elbows on the table and her hands folded. "The last thing the General wants is a scandal on the morning news." She turned to face the laptop to her right. "Colonel Griffin, what say you?"

Lexa glanced at the screen, currently displaying the face of the less-than-amused Colonel Abby Griffin of Australian Intelligence. She had an imperious look on her face, and Lexa crossed her arms as her eyes met to glare at her.

"No, I agree with Major Woods as well. Certainly some finesse is more suited to the circumstances of this operation."

"Excellent." Luna wrung her hands together. "Major Woods, you know the drill." She turned her brown gaze to Clarke. "Quint is yours, and so is the Sector, as agreed." At that, Luna slid a file across the conference table to Clarke. "That's all, meeting adjourned." She stood and exited the room, followed by the rest of the agents, leaving Lexa and Clarke alone.

Lexa walked over to Clarke, who was still standing at the front of the room. The brunette perched on the edge of the thick oak table and looked at Clarke. The two agents just stared at each other, until Lexa broke away to inspect the carpet floors.

"So I guess this is really happening." Lexa said finally. Clarke sighed, and Lexa looked up.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Clarke asked. Her eyes were a lighter shade of blue today, perhaps reflecting her nervousness as she stood before Lexa, her arms folded and her lip between her teeth – a nervous habit.

"Of course not." Lexa said instantly. She rose to her feet to take Clarke's hands in hers. "This is just the first time that we've ever worked with another agency in such intimacy. And I don't particularly trust your superiors."

"Then don't trust them. Trust me." Clarke murmured softly.

"I thought you told me not to trust you, that you should earn my trust back." Lexa said, raising an eyebrow at Clarke, though the corners of her lips were curved upwards. The blonde rolled her eyes, squeezing Lexa's hands, playing with her fingers gently.

"And have I?" Clarke asked, her chin tilted towards Lexa. The agent smirked, taking their clasped hands and bringing Clarke's up to her lips.

"Maybe." She brushed her lips along Clarke's fingers. "You did give us a lot of valuable information, and I can't ignore that you've filled in the blanks about your work."

"We had agreed on an exchange after all." Clarke remarked. Lexa smiled, and brought Clarke closer, a hand around the blonde's waist.

"Anya seems to approve of you." She said with a smirk, her hand curling a strand of Clarke's hair behind her ear.

"Really? How do you know?" Clarke asked.

"She pointed at you when your back was turned and gave me a wink and two thumbs up." Clarke laughed softly, and leaned against the other agent, curling her arm around Lexa's shoulders.

"I really hope this works out." The blonde whispered in the crook of Lexa's neck. She felt Lexa shift against her.

"The mission, or us?" Lexa asked quietly. Clarke removed herself from Lexa's side to look at her face-to-face.

"Us." She said, her eyes searching Lexa's features. "Screw the mission. You're more important to me than that." Lexa seemed to mull Clarke's words over in her head, before finally nodding.

They stood there facing each other for a few more minutes before Clarke interrupted their comfortable silence. "So, it's Major Lexa Woods?" Lexa groaned and closed her eyes.

"Yes, my real last name is Woods." She opened one eye to peer at Clarke. "Is there anything else I haven't told you?"

"Nope." Clarke said, grinning. "Major eh?"

"Believe it or not I was an ambitious young agent once." Lexa grunted, though she did return Clarke's mischievous grin.

"Young? That must have been ages ago." Clarke snorted, to which she earned a hard pinch on waist. The blonde jerked away from the offending hand, but made no move to remove herself from the tangle of their limbs. "I was married once." She blurted suddenly, jerking Lexa from her thoughts.

"To whom?" Lexa asked quietly, masking her surprise.

"Another agent." Clarke toyed with the hem of Lexa's white blouse, refusing to meet the brunette's eyes. "It didn't work out, he thought he was better than me, it got all competitive, you know how it is."

"Huh." Lexa frowned, thinking. "Is he still working for ASIS?"

"He died in a bombing at one of the Australian consulates." She said quietly. Lexa grunted, tightening her grip around Clarke's waist before shaking her head with a sigh.

"Too bad, a plan had already been forming in my mind of all the different and most painful ways to kill him." Clarke chuckled, leaning her head against Lexa's shoulder.

"If it's any consolation, I think you could have taken him."

"Please, like it could have ended any other way." Lexa stated matter-of-factly, and Clarke snorted at Lexa's confidence.

\----

"Alpha-1 and Charlie-2 now on site." Lincoln spoke into the comm, relaying the live updates to Luna and Abby in the Command Center. The aircraft was floating a great distance above the warehouse, cloaked and unknown to the insurgents below.

On the ground, Lexa and Clarke were quietly sneaking up on the west side of the building. Both were wearing black gear, Kevlar vests underneath their jackets. The two agents moved like they have trained for years together, slinking through the grass and avoiding broken bottles littering the ground.

Once they reached a window on the side of the building, Lexa turned to Clarke. "I'll go in first, do a sweep." Clarke gave a brief nod, and Lexa set to work unlocking it from the outside. Once she heard that customary click, Lexa carefully pulled the window open. She nodded to Clarke and slipped in quietly.

Her feet touched the concrete lightly, and she pulled out her gun, the silence already on the barrel as she examined the room. Once she had ensured it was clear, she poked her head out to Clarke.

"Get in here." She said, her voice hushed before she turned back to face the room. She heard Clarke slip in behind her and close the window, and the two of them moved to the door.

They moved through the hallway adjacent to the empty room, and slunk through carefully. Jaha and Quint should be meeting at the east side of the warehouse. They'd have to make their way over to them from the other side of the building. Lexa swallowed and braced herself for any unexpected guards. They moved carefully, guns at the ready as they scanned the area.

Just as they rounded the corner of the hall, Lexa saw a guard with his back to them. She indicated to Clarke, who gave a quick affirmative with her hand. Lexa slid up behind the guard. He was alone. Quietly, Lexa holstered her weapon and brought one arm around the man's neck. Any noise he was about to make was silenced instantly when she rapidly twisted his neck, breaking his spine.

Lexa lowered the 200 pound man to the ground and dragged him to a nearby room and out of sight, Clarke watching both sides of the corridor. Once Lexa was finished disposing his body, they were on the move again.

"One down, 18 left." Clarke commented under her breath, and Lexa nodded with a slight smirk. They moved fast down the hall, using their weapons and aiming at center mass to take out a few more of the guards.

"Alpha-1, Charlie-2, status?" Luna asked. Lexa, who was just finishing off a particularly fat guard, landing a punch to his throat and suffocating him with the iron-grip of her legs around his neck, clicked her earpiece to answer.

"Halfway there." She grunted as she hopped off the dead man silently. At her side, Clarke had just stabbed a man in the chest, strangling him with a garrote. Once he stopped kicking, Clarke reclaimed her knife and dragged him out of sight.

"Hurry up, you're two minutes in and counting." Abby cut in. Lexa met Clarke's eyes as she was returning, the two collectively rolling their eyes.

Without bothering to respond, the two agents picked up the trail, and soundlessly jogged through the rest of the premises to the east side. There was a wide, open room at the end of the hall, the place where Jaha and Quint were supposed to meet. Except it was empty.

Lexa felt herself panicking immediately at sight of the empty space, and she met Clarke's equally concerned gaze. They stopped at the doorway, just out of sight in case they were wrong. She tapped her earpiece. "Lima-5, confirm no bodies have exited the premises."

"10-4 Alpha-1, no one's left or entered the building since we last saw." Lincoln confirmed. Lexa raised her eyebrows and looked at Clarke. Clarke's troubled gaze was all Lexa saw, and then there was movement behind her.

With great speed, Lexa lifted her weapon. She fired off a shot, spraying the wall with a man's brains. Behind him, there were more. At Lexa's side, Clarke was also firing at an onslaught of men quickly approaching. They needed cover. Lexa scanned the area. The hallway was filled with men, there was no way out through there. She looked around desperately, until she cast her gaze into the room. There was a mound of discarded concrete blocks just 20 meters away.

Lexa fired off a few more bullets before grabbing Clarke by the arm, dragging her into the room and behind the mountain of concrete blocks. Clarke removed a hand-held grenade from her belt and threw it at the incoming insurgents. The sound of the explosion and men screaming in pain was like a distant memory becoming reality to Lexa. She had to call it in.

"This is Alpha-1 to Command, we're taking heavy fire. Lima-5 we need air support." Lexa shouted into her comm before standing up to fire a few more shots. She watched with satisfaction as a few men collapsed, killed instantly before dropping down to duck behind the concrete.

"Lima-5 to Alpha-1, I'm taking some shit too!" Lincoln's voice was grainy over the channel, and Lexa's blood went cold. Someone had tipped them off. They knew they were coming. It was Dragon Strike all over again.

"Command to ground, take cover, we're s – " Whatever Luna was about to say was cut off, and Lexa swore loudly. Their communications were down.

"Someone's jamming us!" Clarke shouted to Lexa as she ducked under the table, panting heavily. The adrenalin from the firefight made the blonde's blue eyes dark. Lexa met her gaze and nodded helplessly, before standing again and releasing a few shots.

"They knew we were coming!" Clarke yelled. "How did they know?"

"We might have a mole!" Lexa shouted back, taking the grenade Clarke offered and throwing it in the direction of the insurgents. The look on Clarke's face when she heard what Lexa had said instantly made the brunette fear what would happen. Once the explosion died down, Clarke shuffled over to Lexa until they were only inches apart.

"There's a what?!" Clarke shouted. "Don't you think you should have told me that before the mission started?!" Her face was red with anger as she shoved Lexa's shoulder. Lexa swore.

"It slipped my mind okay?" She shouted back. "Now can you focus on the immediate problem here?"

"The immediate problem?!" Clarke yelled indignantly. She stood up and shot at the incoming men, then dropped back down to continue her conversation with Lexa. "You not telling me things, keeping secrets, especially one as important as a fucking mole, that's pretty immediate!" Clarke shouted. Lexa rolled her eyes. "Is there anything else you've kept from me? What else do I need to know that will get me killed?"

"Just calm down for one second, why do you have to overreact about everything? We have gunmen coming at us and you'd rather talk about all the secrets I have because of my job?" Lexa shouted at Clarke before she stood up.

She fired off three shots before she heard the click in her gun chamber. Fuck, it's empty, she thought. Then she felt an intense pain in her chest, like a horse had kicked her hard with its hind legs. Lexa collapsed to the ground, feeling her back hit the concrete ground hard.

"Lexa!" Clarke was at her side in an instant, pulling her safely to cover. Lexa blinked, her vision blurry as she felt the blonde check her chest. The vest had caught the brunt of the blow, but it certainly didn't stop the impact. She could tell there were at least two broken ribs by the searing pain. Clarke was bent over her, ripping off her vest to check for blood.

That was when Lexa saw the masked man behind Clarke. "Clarke!" The blonde turned, but before she could react, the man dealt a swift right hook, knocking her to the ground unconscious.

Lexa scrambled to reach for her gun, but then the man pointed the barrel of his semi-automatic at Clarke's head.

Just as Lexa was attempting to figure out her next move, the man removed his mask, and she was gaping in shock.

"Surprised, Woods?" Lexa's blood was cold, and she felt the fear trickle through her body as she took in the sight of the man before her.

"You're supposed to be dead." He laughed loudly at her words.

"I can never be killed. Unlike you." He nodded to someone behind Lexa, and then she felt a gargantuan blow at the back of her head, her vision fading to black.

\----

Five Years Ago (June 7, 2010)

Location: DIA training site, classified

"All right agents, fall in!"

"Sir yes sir!"

Training master Marcus Kane smiled proudly down at the graduating recruits, and he picked out one particular agent from the crowd.

Lexa smiled up at her mentor. She had made him proud. Graduating at the top of her class, and the only agent to have ever passed the most grueling training exercise the entire DIA could throw at her.

"You are now fully-fledged agents of the Defense Intelligence Agency, you have put in the time and effort, have sweat and bled for this, and it is finally upon you. You are now qualified, you are now trained. Now go forth, and do us proud." Kane nodded to them, and the newly-named agents cheered with excitement.

Lexa grinned, and Bellamy looped a lazy arm around her shoulders. "We did it!" Lexa smiled at his happiness, her own heart swelling with pride for this day.

"Surprised you could graduate at all, you lazy ass!" Lexa joked, ruffling his messy dark hair with a free hand. Then he pulled the hair tie from her head, and it turned into a full-scale brawl.

"Agents!" Kane's stern voice instantly separated them, both standing at attention. He glared at them for a half-second, before breaking into a wide smile. "Well done, both of you. Woods, your espionage and combat marks were simply on another level." He offered his hand, and she shook it earnestly.

"Thank you sir, it's all because of your training though." She said modestly. Kane threw back his head to laugh.

"Well all right, I'll take some of the credit. I was your training officer after all." He looked at her warmly. "You're going to make a brilliant agent one day Woods, and I can't wait to see it with my own eyes." His eyes were a bit misty as he met her eyes. "It is a real shame that your father couldn't see his daughter turn out to not only step into his shoes with great competency, but to outclass him completely!"

Lexa smiled at his words. "Thank you sir, it means a lot to hear you say that."

Kane clapped her on the shoulder in a fatherly manner. "You go out there and make us both proud, Woods."

\----

Five Years Ago (December 13, 2010)

Location: Kuwait, DIA base of Foreign Operations

Lexa was sitting alone. She was still wearing her gear. It was dusty and hot, and her boots chaffed against her feet. She could feel the blisters forming even as she sat there by herself. Her rifle was at her side, her head in her hands. She could feel the tears brimming at the edge of her eyes, but she kept them in as best as she could.

No tears. No tears, she had promised herself. Not after her father.

She had gotten the news a few hours ago. She was just coming in after doing some recon with Anya. They were due to start a mission in a few weeks, and had been scouting out the premises.

That was when Bellamy had run up to her. Her feet had just touched the ground as she had jumped out of the Humvee, shouldering the familiar weight of her rifle.

Kane had been killed.

She had heard it was in a bombing. Insurgents in Iraq had gotten too close to a US military base. Not one of the agents survived. It was supposed to be a negotiation, a meeting between Taliban and DIA personnel, to give up valuable intel.

Lexa looked down at her gloved hands, and for the first time in years she felt the pain of loss. Never again, she swore to herself.

She stood, dusting off her pants, picking up her rifle. Never again, would she consider letting anyone close. The mission, that was the focus. Her team and their safety were her life, her only concern, and that was the way she would live this life and shoulder this burden.

Someone had to do it.

\----

Lexa felt something moist touching the side of her cheek, then suddenly what felt like a bucket of cold water was splashed onto her face. She jolted, eyes wide and disoriented. She was tied to a wooden chair, her arms and legs bound. As she regained her senses, she saw him standing right in front of her. The room was dim, the only light was that of the moon filtering through small, circular windows. It didn't look like she was in the warehouse any more, more like the belly of a freighter. It was just the man standing in front of her, and two henchmen at the doorway. Where was Clarke?

"You've finally decided to join us, wonderful." The man grinned as he dropped the bucket to the ground, the sounds of the object clanging against the metal floors harsh against Lexa's ears.

She looked up to meet his eyes, a snarl on her face. "You should be dead Kane." The man shook his head, clapping his hands together was he walked right up to her.

"It's called survival of the fittest, didn't I teach you that?" He leered, his nose inches away from Lexa's. She grimaced defiantly, spitting – with great accuracy – onto his face. Kane sneered, and slapped her hard on the left cheek.

Lexa saw stars for a second, her vision going dark from the blow. Then she felt hands yanking at her hair, pulling her until she was extremely close to the man standing before her.

"I made it through that bombing, thanks to a little ingenuity, and the good graces of Jaha." Kane growled at her before releasing her, now pacing restlessly in front of her. Lexa was horrified, her mind putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The man standing before her was a stranger, any and all memories of who he was seemed to dissipate by the second.

"So you're the one who's been leaking agency secrets to Jaha." She rasped. Her throat felt like sandpaper, and she coughed in pain. He stopped his pacing to face her, spreading his arms wide to take a generous bow.

"Congratulations, you've solved the puzzle." He said, his eyes sharp as they cut into her figure, making her feel bare and powerless. "It was all a plan you see," Kane said. He turned his back to her to survey the moonlight shining through the window. "I first met Jaha thirty four years ago, in a charity event, of all places. We found ourselves having more than one thing in common, such as our flexible allegiances."

"Does that include your tendency to betray your country, and kill innocent people?" Lexa snapped. Kane did not bother turning around, instead raising a hand and waving it. One of the guards at the door walked up to her, and she glared at him defiantly as he removed a knife from his belt.

Then Lexa watched, with an almost surreal detachment, as the guard brought his knife down upon her thigh, stabbing through muscle and embedding itself in bone. She let out a low groan. She could not allow herself to scream. She had been tortured before, she could handle the pain. Lexa would not allow Kane the satisfaction of watching her squirm.

He turned when she hardly made a sound, and she wondered if she was hallucinating, because within his dark brown eyes she could have sworn she saw a glimmer of pride within their depths.

"You're not going to make it out of here alive Lexa, that much is true." Kane walked over to her, taking the handle of the knife embedded in her thigh. Then he twisted it, and she clenched her jaw, trying to distract herself from the biting pain, from the sight of her blood seeping down her leg and onto the floor. "But your pretty blonde friend?" Lexa tried her hardest not to react, but by the flash of success in Kane's eyes, she knew she had revealed her weakness. "Whether she lives or dies is solely up to your level of cooperation." He released the knife and casually walked the length of the room.

Lexa closed her eyes for a millisecond, attempting to regain her composure. Finally, when she found the words, she growled "What do you want from me?"

Before Kane could answer, the heavy metal door opened, revealing a dark-skinned, regal man. Jaha.

"Major Lexa Woods, I've heard so much of your feats overseas, it's a pleasure to finally meet the face behind the legend." His voice was oily and rich. It could tame a snake, right before he cut its head off. The man strolled over to her, a giant manicured hand roughly capturing her jaw, turning her face to either side, as if to inspect her like a prized mare.

When he released her, Lexa glared at him dangerously. He only smiled at her resistance, turning to shake Kane's hand in greeting. Lexa watched the exchange with great foreboding. Whatever was going on was worse than she could have imagined. She needed to find a way out.

Kane seemed to sense that, removing his hand from Jaha's as he walked up to her and kicked the front of the seat, knocking it backwards.

Lexa landed with a thump, craning her neck so that she would not hit her head as the rest of her body took the brunt of the impact.

She felt footsteps, and then Jaha and Kane were standing over her. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" Jaha sounded impressed, but sadistically so. He reached down to stroke her cheek, and she jerked away as far as she could, which only earned a boot, harsh against her ribcage.

Suddenly she heard screams. Clarke. She turned towards the sound, fear churning in her stomach. Above her, Jaha laughed.

"She's a good kid, that Clarke. Certainly tougher than her father, isn't she Marcus?" Kane nodded, a sadistic grin on his face.

"Well electrocution will get to the best of us. Though she was more resilient than her old man, that's for sure." Kane answered.

Lexa's blood was boiling at their words. With all the strength she could muster, she spat at Kane's boot.

"You bitch!" He kicked her hard in her face, and Lexa felt her nose breaking on impact. Before he could inflict more damage on her, Jaha held out an arm.

"Marcus, let me handle this, you go ahead and get the jet ready." Jaha met Kane's iron gaze, and after a few seconds the latter trudged away angrily. Once the door had slammed shut, Jaha looked down at Lexa imperiously.

"You've been working with Kane all this time, getting intel from the DIA?" Lexa asked, her voice sounding weak even as it came out from her body. She could feel the blood loss getting to her, her thigh throbbing with pain. Her ribs and chest were also aching, devastatingly painful to her. Yet she would not utter the slightest sound of weakness. She needed answers.

"No Lexa, I've been working for Kane." Jaha shook his head. He righted her chair, planting all four legs to the ground with a thump. Lexa glared as he brought another chair over, turning it so that he was resting his forearms on the back of it as he sat. "Kane was the man behind it all. I've just been following orders." He smiled, his teeth shockingly white, a sharp contrast to the rest of his features. "And hell if he's made me rich, trading with Sector, Syrian militants, even dabbling with crystal meth." He sighed loudly, as if just thinking of it made him happy. "It's been a fun thirty years. Although Jake Griffin almost ruined it."

"How?" Lexa growled. Jaha sent her a smirk, his eyes twinkling as he recalled it.

"He knew about the illegal arms deals, and the meth. He found out when he was going through the Applied Sciences archives. I tried to get him to join us in our enterprise. It would have been glorious, having a genius engineering weapons of death, me to sell them, and Kane to advertise them to agencies like the DIA."

"So you killed him." Lexa concluded, and Jaha nodded.

"It wasn't hard, he was an easy target for my regular hitman to take out. The trouble was his mother, asking too many questions, poking her nose where it didn't belong. I was lucky to have the top brass of New York's finest in my pocket." He leaned back slightly, arms gripping the chair. "Then she had to go ahead and seek a private investigator. And not just any P.I., but Lexa Woods, the famous DIA agent. After all these years considered deactivated and a non-threat." Jaha shook his head, his gaze roaming over her body. "But you proved just how much a threat you really are, didn't you?"

There was another scream, and Lexa's heart was racing fast. It felt like it would burst from her chest, and she struggled desperately with the rope tied tightly around her arms.

"There's no use." Jaha said, his voice calm. He stood, coming closer to inspect her bloody, broken face. "You're going to die here. And no one is going to hear you scream when your little girlfriend is killed right before your eyes."

As he spoke, Lexa saw the door open, dragging a bound and bloody Clarke into the room. The two men holding her threw her carelessly at Lexa's feet, and she winced at the sound of the blonde's body hitting the ground. She was conscious, but there was a line of blood tricking from her forehead.

Clarke's eyes met Lexa, and the latter was instantly outraged by the state of her. She turned to glare at Jaha. "Let her go. She's not involved in this."

"Not involved?" Jaha laughed. "Her whole life has led up to this moment. She is the daughter of that pain in the ass. It's all come full circle, hasn't it? Both father and daughter will die by my hands." Lexa growled low in her throat.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Lexa snarled.

"Oh, but you do Lexa, you do." Jaha knocked his chair over and lunged at Clarke, dragging her to her feet by her hair. The blonde let out a cry of pain as he held her close to him, an arm around her neck. He leaned over to sniff at her hair. At her chair, Lexa struggled desperately, feeling the ropes bite against her raw skin.

"Get away from her you fucker!" She shouted, pulling at the ropes wildly. Then she heard the cocking of a pistol.

"You decide what will happen in the next few seconds Woods." Jaha said, the barrel of the pistol firmly pressed against Clarke's temple. Lexa's teeth bared in a snarl as she glared daggers at him. "You can either watch me blow her brains out, or I can have you killed first, and she can watch as my men slowly drain you of your blood, until you beg to be killed. Then, as she's weeping over you, she will soon join you in death."

Lexa ignored him, looking only at Clarke. The blonde was shaking her head at her. She was telling her to take the first option, and immediately her affection for the woman standing in front of her flooded into her skin, reminding her exactly why she had fallen in love with Clarke Griffin. She was fiery, passionate, and selfless, and Lexa saw now, reflected in the blonde's eyes, that she felt the same.

The sounds of gunfire and shouting suddenly materialized on the other side of the door, and then Lexa watched in amazement as a small cylindrical grenade was thrown into the room. Instantly, Lexa shielded her eyes as much as she could as gas permeated the entire premises. Just as she did, she felt a fiery pain, harsh against the flesh of her stomach.

There were sounds of bullets and her name being called, and in the confusion, Lexa felt her bonds being cut. Then, hands were grasping her body tightly, as if she were about to evaporate into thin air. In the chaos and noise, Lexa opened her eyes to see Clarke looking back at her.

"Clarke." She whispered gently, and the blonde nodded, a trail of tears flowing from her cheeks as she held Lexa in an iron grip. The pain in her stomach was intense and sharp; Lexa felt as though all of her blood were pouring out from that one wound. It must have nicked the aorta.

"You're going to be okay Lexa," Clarke said softly, a shaky, bleeding hand coming up to stroke her face. "You're going to be okay." Lexa felt Clarke's other hand covering the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, and as her vision began to dim, all she heard were Clarke's words repeated, her sob. She had to say it though, had to let the blonde know. After so many years of promising to herself, empty promises to always lead with her head, she felt her resolve crumbling. Her heart had been thrashing her head ever since the blonde had come into her life, and hell if she would let her head win one last time.

"I love you Clarke."


	12. Chapter 12

All she heard were the sounds of a heart monitor beeping, and the incessant humming of various other medical machines. It filtered through her eardrums, invading the quiet and calm state she had been in seconds before. Her eyelids felt heavy, and it took a few feeble attempts before she finally managed to open them.

Light instantly invaded her sight, and she blinked a few times to adjust to it. There was a dull twinge spreading from her stomach and continuing down her thigh even as she stayed still, hardly moving from her position flat on her back. The covers were scratchy, only barely providing any warmth to her. For her to explain to anyone, she simply was tired, fatigued and weary. She was exhausted, as if someone had drained most of her blood and left her to die in the middle of the desert in the scorching heat.

In the midst of her discomfort, she traced the ceilings, the white walls around her, and finally landed on the doorway, where a figure appeared.

"You're awake!" Lexa blinked a few times to better see the figure as they walked over to the side of the bed. Anya.

The other agent scrutinized her, from the drowsy expression on her face to her injured thigh before bending down to kiss her forehead in an almost motherly fashion. "We need to stop meeting up like this." Lexa joked weakly, her voice hoarse and scratchy. It was painful to talk, and immediately she was reminded of her broken ribs.

"You're telling me." Anya said, shaking her head as she looked at Lexa. "You gave us quite a shock there, we thought you weren't going to make it." Lexa frowned at her, trying to remember the last few minutes of what went down that night.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked. The other woman gazed at her sympathetically before she answered.

"Two days." Anya brushed her fingers along Lexa's forehead, soothing the frown lines that appeared there. "You were in and out, you coded once during the surgery too."

"Surgery?" Lexa asked, still dazed from the pain meds and her half-conscious state.

"You got shot Lexa, don't you remember? The surgeons had to remove the bullet and stitch up your aorta" Anya explained. Her voice was soft, about as soft as one would speak to a newborn puppy. Lexa almost couldn't take the sympathy, the pity, it made her feel inept and unable. She could only take it from one person, and that thread of thought had her jolt up suddenly.

Lexa regretted the movement instantly, the pull of the stitches and the ribs a reminder not to move. "Stop moving around, you dumbass." Anya chastised her immediately, a hand coming down to press Lexa against the confines of the bed.

"Clarke, is she alright?" Lexa asked, her eyes frantic as she looked around, as if the blonde was somehow hidden in the room.

"She's doing fine," Anya said, her hand still pressed against Lexa's shoulder, afraid the younger agent would bolt. "She was shocked a few times with a cattle prod, those animals, and she got roughed up mostly. She insisted on seeing you, but we got her to take a nap." Anya looked reproachfully at Lexa. "You actually had the worst injuries."

"I don't even know what happened, how did you find us?" Lexa asked. She brought her hands up to her face, covering her eyes as she scoured her own mind for answers.

"We had a tracker on your belt buckle and followed the signal to a freighter docked at the shipyards not far from the warehouse. Indra and I went in there with a team, raided the freighter and found you two. Jaha took a shot at you, but we neutralized him before anything else happened." Anya explained. "And because you will likely ask this next, Lincoln is fine. He took some fire, but he managed to take them out first and get out of there alive."

"Them?"

"Sector." Lexa nodded, processing the information. It was coming back to her now. It was still pretty blurry, but the events were starting to reappear. Then, she remembered.

"Marcus Kane, he's the one behind it all." Lexa started. Anya nodded at her. The look on Anya's face seemed to mirror the betrayal that Lexa felt even as his name was mentioned.

"We know. Luna interrogated Jaha yesterday. She was persuasive, and she got all the information we needed. But, Kane did get away." Lexa sighed. She could almost feel the knife in her thigh, and she clenched her jaw as she recalled the icy grip of the blade as it cut its way through her flesh. Anya noticed her discomfort and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, you're fine now. I was so relieved when we found you, and Clarke, in time. I don't know what I'd do without your sarcastic ass roving around the office." She put a hand on Lexa's uninjured leg, stroking it gently, attempting to get Lexa to focus on her. The only response she got from Lexa was a nod, air exhaling from her nostrils violently.

Anya gently brushed her fingers up and down Lexa's leg, before Lexa spoke suddenly, as if waking from a trance. "I need to find Kane."

"Oh no you don't, not until you've at least gotten some rest." Anya objected instantly. She tightened her vice-like grip on Lexa's thigh to keep her stationary.

"Anya."

"Lexa Woods I swear if you get out of this bed I will tie you to the railings myself." Anya threatened, her eyes narrowing at the younger woman.

"Hey, isn't that my job?" Both women snapped to the sound of raspy voice by the door. Lexa smiled once she saw who it was balancing precariously against the door frame.

"Clarke." She acknowledged softly. Clarke moved over carefully, using one crutch to support her weight as she made her way over to Lexa's bedside. Anya stood up and helped Clarke gently ease down onto an unclaimed chair.

She still looked shaky, but she was less pale than when she had last seen her, Lexa noted as Clarke carefully sat. Lexa looked at the stitches on Clarke's forehead with concern, but the blonde simply shook her head, indicating that she was fine. Anya took her crutch and lowered it to the linoleum floor, sliding it under the chair so that Clarke could better access it later.

"Hi Lex." Clarke greeted Lexa gently, easing their hands together. Their fingers entwined naturally, and Anya was grinning from ear to ear.

"Aww you two are too cute!" She crowed happily. As Lexa was shooting her a glare, Anya turned to Clarke. "You're so much better than all of her ex-girlfriends, trust me." She patted Clarke's shoulder, smirking. "But make sure you don't hurt her, or I'll come after you."

"Anya!" Lexa scolded her, but Anya only winked at her before she waved and bolted from the room. "I'll come back later! And no sex until you're healed!" She wagged her index finger at Lexa, who flipped her off. Clarke just chuckled at the exchange, and Lexa grinned, delighted to hear that melodious laugh again.

Then it was just the two of them, sitting in silence. The air seemed to hum with a sort of energy, and Lexa elected not to say anything, choosing instead to focus on the feeling of Clarke's skin, of her soft palm pressed against her own. She had thought she'd never be able to touch her again, to feel the brush of her skin, to smell the scent of her vanilla conditioner and the different shades of blue in her eyes. Lexa lost herself in the intensity of Clarke's gaze, and she felt her love for the blonde simply consume her.

"You lied to me." Lexa jolted out of her revere at Clarke's words.

"What?"

"You lied to me." Clarke repeated. "When I asked you if you trusted me, you said maybe." Lexa frowned at her.

"And how is that lying?" She cocked her brow as she met Clarke's stormy blue gaze.

"Because that would imply that you might have trusted me. You don't trust me at all." Clarke's words were soft, as stark contrast to her face, which was marred with disappointment and betrayal.

Lexa gaped at her for a second before she decided to answer her accusation. "I do trust you, Clarke."

"Then why didn't you tell me about the mole?" Clarke asked, her voice was a low but harsh as she leaned back against the chair, removing her hand from Lexa's grasp. Lexa groaned, closing her eyes. She rested her head on her pillow. This was the first time she'd ever had to justify her actions to anyone who was not her superior, and for once she felt the necessity to explain herself.

"Because I didn't trust your mother." She finally muttered. She instantly felt Clarke's eyes burning a hole into her forehead, and she dared not open her own eyes.

"And you don't trust me." Clarke finished for Lexa. At once the brunette's eyes snapped open.

"Why are we having this conversation?" She asked sharply. "I love you, is that not enough?" Clarke flinched at her words, then she seemed to recover from it to land a jab of her own.

"What if that's not enough?" She glared at Lexa, her eyes watery and her voice high-pitched and airy, in that way – the way women got when they got emotional. At that moment Lexa felt her heart shatter in hearing those words. They were a repeat of something Costia had said once, mere hours before she had died.

"Clarke I –" She began, but the blonde cut her off with a wave of her hand.

"No, you're right, this is the wrong time right? And you're always right, you have to keep secrets, it's who you are. You're closed off, emotionally unavailable, and you hide behind that armor of yours, not letting anyone in."

"Yes, it damn well is my duty to do just that." Lexa grew angry then, and all she saw were Clarke's stormy, dark blue eyes glowering right back at her. "I'm an agent, I keep secrets, and it's my job to. And so do you. Why are you bringing it up now, like it's a new concept?"

"Because you almost died Lexa!" Clarke shouted loudly, overriding the last few words in Lexa's sentence. The noise itself effectively shut down whatever Lexa was going to say, leaving her to just gaze at Clarke in shock.

"Clarke –"

"You almost died Lexa, and I wouldn't have known enough about you. You are a stranger to me in every sense of the word." Clarke continued. "We met five months ago, you told me you love me, but you don't trust me. And the worst thing is," She paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself, "I had to hear from Anya – not you, but Anya – that your father died when you were thirteen, that Kane was like a Goddamn father figure to you. You never shared the details of your life, you never shared you feelings with me, and that hurts. Especially since I gave you everything, I bared my soul to you."

"Oh please, you had secrets of your own, like the fact that you're a bloody ASIS agent! And that shit about my father is in my past Clarke, it has nothing to do with you, or my feelings about you, why do you have to overstep –"

"I don't know you Lexa! We've been living in the shadows for so long that we never – fuck!" Clarke covered her face, having difficulty trying to articulate her words in a way that Lexa would understand. She seemed to be able to minutes later, after the air grew cold and awkward around them. "We're paid liars, Lexa, and that's intrinsically problematic. When I first met you, I was happy, overjoyed really, because you were a regular, ordinary person. You lived a normal life, had a 9-to-5 job."

"So you're dissatisfied with how things have turned out?" Lexa asked quietly. Her eyes were firmly directed towards the cork-board ceiling panels, trying in vain to understand what Clarke was saying. Somewhere within her chest, Lexa felt her heart sinking heavily.

"I wanted out of this life! I wanted to be normal again, to get married, start a family with you." Clarke finally mumbled through her fingers.

"And you don't think this future you imagine can actually happen, now that you know that I'm an agent." Lexa concluded.

"I don't know any more Lexa." Clarke finally looked up to examine Lexa's features, but the brunette refused to meet her eyes. "What do you want?" She was searching Lexa's face for an answer, and the brunette was unsure whether to answer.

Lexa stopped her observation of the ceiling to examine her toes, hidden under the blankets. She had to clench her jaw several times before she had the guts to say it, but when she did, it was whispered. "You." She glanced up to meet Clarke's gaze. "I only ever wanted you. But if that isn't what you want, I won't hold you back." Her eyes were cold, a stone-cold expression taking form over her features like a mask. "I love you, I might not have trusted you at the start of the mission, but after what happened, I do Clarke."

Clarke's eyes were swimming with tears now, and Lexa wasn't sure quite what to make of it. "You mean after it was confirmed that Kane was the mole." She countered. Lexa snorted.

"No, after I almost died." Lexa met Clarke's eyes fully now. "And at the instant when Jaha pointed a loaded gun at your head, and I realized that if I had to relive, to retrace all of my steps in life, I wouldn't change one thing about the past five months with you. My life before you Clarke, it pales in comparison." Lexa looked down to watch as her fingers entangled with each other, a nervous habit. "I realized that I loved you more than I had ever loved anyone or anything in my entire life."

She stopped abruptly, breathing shakily "I thought, as I lay there dying, that those five months with you were like a dream, a window into what it's like to have someone that links you to the world, that connects you in a way that is simply indescribable. I love you Clarke Griffin. I don't care what secrets you may keep, but if you wish, I can tell you everything about myself. I'm willing to tell you why I don't watch baseball anymore, or how –" Lexa's voice cracked with unshed tears before she rushed out the rest of her sentence, "how my father used to lift me up on his shoulders every time he saw me, or even why I hate my grandfather. I will do all that, because I will fight for you. But only if you want me to."

The blonde was silent, and within those few minutes of deathly silence, Lexa's mind was already buzzing with different scenarios of how Clarke would react. She had rarely ever bared her soul to someone, or made herself so vulnerable in displaying her emotions. It was exhilarating, yet terrifying, and Lexa felt her heart leaping into her throat.

"You're an ass." Lexa's eyes snapped up from her intense observation of her fingers when Clarke finally broke the silence between them.

"Excuse me?"

"You're an ass for thinking that I don't want you back, and you're an ass because it took you so damn long to express yourself in this way." Clarke explained, but her voice sounded almost affectionate. Then again Lexa could be hallucinating.

"But what of your dream, to have kids, to retire from the agency?" Lexa queried, her heart beating so loud she could feel it violently against her chest.

"I choose you. Maybe that life, it isn't really meant for people like us." Clarke said quietly. "I mean, I was drawn to you, of all people. It must have been for a reason. I chose you, perhaps because we were alike in many ways, in that we keep secrets. Maybe our life exists in a cycle, to live and die in heat and passion, to live in the moment."

"That doesn't have to be true." Lexa countered. She had ruminated over these words before they came out, and when they did, they did their job. "We can retire, you know. After all this is over, after Kane is captured." She braced herself before she continued. "We can get married."

"I wouldn't want to force you into anything you don't want." Clarke muttered, though the yearning in her eyes was enough of an answer for Lexa.

"I want you to be happy, and I want to be with you, Clarke. I know that I love you, and that I trust you. God, I trust you with my life. When we were raiding that warehouse we moved in sync. We were naturally tuned into one another. I admit I have trust issues Clarke, but when we were in there, I trusted you to have my back, and you did." Lexa's eyes were full of love, and Clarke could see it as clearly as a spotlight shining down on her. "I don't want just five months, I want forever, with you. I want to die when I'm a 100 years old, wrinkled and frail, holding your hand and laughing about the adventures we had."

Clarke laughed despite Lexa's declaration, her cheeks were wet with tears. "So you have a plan now?"

"I have only this much to give to you Clarke. I am not rich, I'm not ordinary – in the most modest way possible – but I definitely don't have that mask, that armor on me anymore. I'm stripped bare, all that I have now is yours to do as you please." Lexa smiled as she met Clarke's watery gaze. "We're stronger together, and that's what I've discovered."

Then Clarke was leaning forward, pressing a gentle kiss on her lips. It was a soft kiss, a promise. It was the sealing of their deal, not passionate and thrumming with a certain excitement, but calming and mollifying, an oath bound by words and solidified by the joining of their lips.

When Clarke pulled away to breathe, she let out laugh. "Why is it that, whenever I want you to talk, you clam up, but when I'm infuriated with you, you manage to say the most charming things?"

"I'm just suave, you could say."

"Suave my ass." Lexa laughed, then she felt the familiar dull ache in her chest, and she groaned in pain. Damn her injuries. Clarke's hand rubbed her arm soothingly, and she felt the blonde's lips brushing her nose.

"So what now, my love?" Clarke asked once Lexa had settled, the pain subsiding as she lay back.

"Kane's mine." She grunted out. Clarke nodded almost approvingly at her words.

"Fine, but we take him out together." Clarke warned her. Lexa grinned, her eyelids feeling heavy from exhaustion.

"You're never going to get any easier are you?"

"Isn't complicated our thing though?"

"True." Lexa fought to keep her eyes open, and Clarke noticed it. The blonde reached out to put a hand over Lexa's eyes tenderly. Lexa smiled at the gesture, letting the other woman to pacify her racing thoughts of revenge.

"Rest, we'll plan tomorrow." Clarke whispered, and Lexa allowed herself to fall back into a dreamless sleep, the love of her life at her side ready to face the world in morning's light.


	13. Chapter 13

"I can do it myself!" Lexa's irritated voice bounced off the walls of the bedroom. Minutes ago, she had been attempting to dress herself. Getting her still-sore leg into her pants became problematic however. That was when Clarke had intervened, and Lexa's pride was currently stinging at requiring such aid.

Once Lexa had been released from the hospital two weeks ago, she had been confined to the four walls of her and Clarke's bedroom. Bed rest, and only light walking, had been the death of her. For two weeks, she had been bored out of her mind, unable to move too far from Clarke's vigilant watch.

Indeed, the blonde had basically been her shadow, never straying far from Lexa, a hand usually at her waist to steady her should she choose to roam the circumference of the room. Clarke had doted on her, making her stew, bringing take-out from Gallaghers, and soothing her when she was prisoner to moments of fitful, restless sleep as nightmares plagued her.

All this was carried out by Clarke, even though the blonde herself was still recovering from her own – albeit much less painful – injuries. It was too much, and Lexa felt as if the blonde was smothering her. That, and Lexa still did not believe herself worthy of such care and tenderness. It was intimate, and it was frightening on a different level. Lexa Woods, stone-cold agent known for the body count over the course of her career, was helpless. And as much as Lexa loved Clarke, hell if she was frustrated with her situation, and she had shamefully taken out her anger on the blonde a few times now. However, such minor arguments, such spats, would immediately be forgotten once Clarke's lips were on her own, placating her in moments of extreme irritation.

Yet she was frustrated, and still coming off of the shock of finding that Kane was alive, and a traitor. The worst part was that she had no outlet of which to release her pent-up aggression. It didn't help too, that Clarke had made their bedroom a pants-on zone, which meant no sex. Not at least, until Lexa was better and could laugh without feeling a stinging ache within her chest. Which Lexa, for her sake, argued that she was feeling better, and she was; Anya had checked up on her yesterday and had given her a clean bill of health.

Luna had promised that once Lexa could be cleared for active duty, Kane would be hers. But hell, they weren't even sure where Kane was at the moment. Indra and Echo, in addition to the technologically gifted Raven Reyes of ASIS, had been slaving at such a task for hours at a time in the HQ. Unfortunately, the exact status of their investigation was something that Lexa was not privy to, and this she assumed was a product of both Luna and Clarke knowing her too well. They both knew that once she saw a thread, a clue, she would be tempted to keep such a morsel of information to herself, and not hesitate to confront Kane, even in her still-injured state.

"Lexa, don't be an idiot." Clarke huffed. She was at Lexa's side in an instant, a hand bracing the small of her back as she aided her in her quest to put on her jeans. Once such quest was accomplished, Lexa's hands moved to the zipper of her jeans, but Clarke's hands beat her to it.

"I can do that myself." Lexa repeated, almost exasperated with Clarke's seemingly innate need to help her. She felt useless, and she hated it. It made her antsy. Typically, she would run every morning, at least 10k, just to keep her mind sharp. The leg injury certainly prevented that.

Hands touching her pelvis suddenly captured her attention, and she looked up at Clarke. The blonde however, had her eyes fixed elsewhere. Specifically, her fingers were brushing against the opening of her pants. Lexa's breath hitched at the contact, and she felt her body reacting to the proximity of the other woman's hands to more, intimate, areas.

"Are you just going to tease me?" She rasped. Then Clarke's eyes met hers, and she knew what this was. Clarke had been right, when she had said Lexa was in her pocket – she was wrapped around her finger, prey to her every need or request, even if she didn't like it. And she couldn't deny that that Clarke's touch seemed to thrum with an urgency, and Lexa remembered in the back of her mind that these past two weeks it was not just her who had suffered from the ban.

"Well, Anya did clear you for action." Clarke said quietly, and a lazy smile overtook her features. The blonde looked at Lexa directly. "But only if you feel okay."

"Are you actually asking that right now?" Lexa raised an eyebrow, and Clarke laughed, a hand coming to cup Lexa's cheek softly. "The past few weeks have been the worst."

"Because I didn't let you leave the room?"

"Because you've been mothering me for two weeks." Lexa sighed. "As far from sexy as possible."

"I'm sorry Lex," Clarke smirked, seeming to take joy in the indignant, frustrated expression of her lover.

"Are you happy with my vexed state? That's sadistic." Lexa complained. Clarke laughed before drawing Lexa closer, brushing their noses together.

"You're just a big baby." Clarke whispered, their lips almost touching. Lexa was overly eager at this point, but Clarke's hand was still in between them, keeping some distance between their bodies. "Can you say it? I want to hear it again." The blonde's voice was low, seductive as she toyed with the waistband of her underwear.

"What is this hold that you have on me, that you think you can command me to say whatever you'd wish to hear?" Lexa said the words as if she were pondering the most intimate abstract question about the workings of the universe, and not the current situation of her teasing girlfriend.

"Because the legendary commander is mine, and I am hers." Clarke breathed, low and conspiratorial as one would a secret, and Lexa couldn't agree more with the blonde's assessment. She was Clarke's, and Clarke was hers, just as the sky and ground were to each other accountable.

\----

They were laying side-by-side, their skin pressed against each other. Lexa's body was humming after being satisfied so thoroughly. One arm had been thrown haphazardly over Clarke's waist, loosely draped over her as they rested, bathing in the quiet and the calm.

Lexa's hand ran over the slopes and planes of Clarke's body, mapping ridges and hollows with her fingertips. She pressed kisses between her shoulder blades, making her way down her spine as she worshipped and explored the length of Clarke's soft skin. She saw the places that the blonde had been marked by Kane's hand, and even now her blood was on fire at even the thought of that monster touching her.

"I wish life could just be like this, all the time." Clarke murmured softly. Her words roused Lexa from her current action, and she caressed the slope of the other woman's back, feeling her arch back into the touch.

"Me too." Lexa whispered as she kissed the back of Clarke's neck, brushing aside her long golden locks to provide better access to the skin curtained under it.

"Do you ever dream about the people you've killed?" Clarke asked quietly. Lexa frowned in thought before she answered.

"Nope." She felt Clarke's body shake as she chuckled lightly.

"Yeah me too." She said between laughs. "We should probably see somebody."

"Well," Lexa made a show of putting on her thinking face. "We wouldn't be in this profession if we weren't at least accepting of what we do, what we give out."

"That's true." Clarke nodded, and Lexa buried her nose in blonde's hair, leaving kisses and making her squirm with laughter. The conversation lulled, and suddenly, the blonde was turning in her arms, and she was met with those brilliant blue eyes staring right into her soul, and Lexa shivered at the tenderness of all this.

"If I asked you right now to walk away, just leave Kane, and run away with me, you would say no, wouldn't you?" Lexa swallowed the lump in her throat, and as she shook her head she saw the flash of anger in Clarke's eyes just before she blinked, and it was gone.

"I can't." Lexa's voice was gentle, beseeching as she met the blonde's gaze. "I have to finish this, I won't let this hang over me like a shadow. This will only end when Kane is dead."

"Or you die. Or you both die together." Clarke added, and Lexa was most certain that she had not imagined the fury in her eyes. "Does it ever end? Or are you doomed to chase him in a twisted game of cat and mouse until one or both of you are dead?"

Despite the context of their conversation, their bodies were flush against each other, and Lexa' grip on the blonde only tightened around her waist.

"I thought you agreed with me about this, back at the hospital." Lexa countered. Clarke rolled her eyes, and she shuffled closer so that their foreheads touched and their noses brushed.

"At first, but then I consider the implications of it, and what would happen if you died in the process." Clarke's eyelids fluttered as she blinked, "I won't lose you, Lexa. Don't you dare leave me alone in this world."

"I won't." Lexa swore solemnly. The words seemed sour even as they left her mouth – making empty promises that she had absolute no control over. Clarke's lips met her heatedly, the full weight of what they were discussing contained in that one kiss. Once they had parted, Lexa sighed, closing her eyes as Clarke curled into her, fitting against her naturally like a missing puzzle piece.

"We'll get him as a team, together." Clarke iterated firmly with strength in her words, long after the heat of the moment had died down. Lexa knew better than to argue, only nodding and pulling the blonde's hips so that they were as close as possible. She would not bear be separated from her, in this life or the next.

\----

"It's been confirmed. Kane's in hiding. A mansion under one of hundreds of aliases in New Mexico." Luna said over the phone a few days later. It was on speaker, lying on the dining table, with Lexa and Clarke listening intently.

Lexa met Clarke's intense gaze, and she simply nodded. "We'll be there." She stated casually, as if she were discussing movie plans instead of a showdown against a formidable and homicidal former mentor.

"Lexa, the Section Chief has told us that our jurisdiction ends here, and our agents have been ordered to stand down." Luna paused. "But as your friend, theoretically I would say take the jet and the duffle bag of weapons stashed in the cargo hold. And I would bring my very intelligent and able-bodied girlfriend with me if I were you."

Lexa smirked despite the situation, and Clarke shared her amusement. "Thanks Luna." Lexa took a deep breath. "For everything."

"Just don't get caught or killed, and get your ass back to New York as soon as you've cut that bastard's throat. That is, if I said anything at all. Which I didn't. In fact I advise against it."

Lexa just rolled her eyes. "You're such a dork."

"It's insubordination to call your boss a dork." Luna complained good-naturedly. Clarke grinned at their banter, and Lexa took her hand gently in hers.

"I've gotten away with worse." Lexa snorted, and Luna laughed.

"Understatement of the year." Luna chuckled. "Well, duty calls for me. Get back here, I expect an invitation to a dinner party at your house within the week."

"You got it boss."

\----

The mansion was a hilltop away. They had scoped it out, investigated the perimeter. They had planned, now was the time for action.

Lexa was crouched down on the balls of her feet, running a cloth over her Glock once more, preparing it for the coming fight. Beside her, Clarke was loading her M16 rifle with vigor, checking it for alignment and wiping the barrel clean from a smudge.

"You know, after this, we should run off. Just ditch the agency." Clarke suggested. Lexa grinned as she holstered her handgun and set to work transferring several clips from the duffle bag and onto her belt and in the multiple pockets of her pants.

"Where would you want to go?" Lexa asked as she slid a clip into her MK18, hearing the satisfying click as she worked.

"Tahiti always sounded great. I've never been to any place tropical, and it seems pretty far away."

"Really?" Lexa raised an eyebrow. "You want to get sun burned? Look at your skin, you'd fry faster than a fish on a skillet doused in cooking oil."

"Colorful." Clarke remarked dryly, which earned her an ear-to-ear grin from Lexa. "Then where would you go?"

"New Zealand." Clarke scoffed loudly at her suggestion, and Lexa glared before she continued, her voice taking on a dreamy quality, "Just imagine it: rolling green hills, beautiful mountainous landscapes capped with snow, nothing for miles but you and your horse, maybe some sheep and a goat." She took on a faraway expression as she pictured it in the forefront of her mind.

"Just the horse, no Clarke?" Lexa grinned mischievously at Clarke's query.

"Well you said you preferred Tahiti, I was under the assumption we'd be doing our own thing." Clarke chuckled, reaching over to poke Lexa in the side.

"You think you're sooo funny Lexa Woods. We'll see who's laughing a few weeks from now, on a beach sipping on cold beer with the sun on our faces."

"Whoa, what makes you think I'd yield to your dream?" Lexa argued half-heartedly as she shouldered her rifle, the straps comfortable around her torso as she reached for the grenade launcher. However, Clarke snatched it out from under her hands, and when Lexa was scowling, the blonde traded it for the sniper rifle, which Lexa took instantly with a smile. So Clarke had read her file, she thought. She had the best recorded kills in the agency, and long-distance was her calling card for assassinations after all – it was customary that she take that responsibility.

"Well since I'm your dream, I figure you wouldn't have a problem where we live so long as I'm still around right?" Clarke joked as she swung the shotgun over her shoulder. Lexa laughed at her cheeky words, and despite their current pre-strike state and the unofficial mission looming overhead, she was feeling light and happy.

"Well that just cuts me in my core." Lexa put a hand over her abdomen dramatically, giving the blonde a wink.

"Accept it bub, you're whipped." Clarke quipped, and the brunette was in stitches.

Once the banter had died down, and they had finished selecting their weapons from the impressive arsenal that had been located precisely where Luna had said, they both stood.

Lexa faced Clarke and inhaled, taking it all in. Over them, the sun burned brightly and fiercely high above the sky. Clarke nodded, steeling herself for what was to come.

"You favor your left side, so I'll cover you there." Lexa started. One hand reached out to double-check the straps on Clarke's vest, then patting it reassuringly. "I'll take out the guards up top once you distract them, and we'll enter from the deck in the back –" Then Clarke was kissing her, hard. Lexa's free hand went around her waist, pulling her closer to her. Clarke broke off first, and she stared hard into Lexa's green eyes.

"I can't wait for Tahiti." Lexa caught the double-meaning in her words and the intensity of her gaze, and she swallowed, nodding.

"Gotcha."


	14. Chapter 14

They had the element of surprise on their side. That, and the fact that they had waited and toiled for two weeks until they could pursue him. Now, as Lexa looked through the scope of her sniper rifle, a burly guard in the crosshairs, her body seemed to hum with energy. There was no one else for miles and miles, they were in the middle of a desert, isolated and solitary. They were ready for this.

She had watched as Clarke disappeared over the other side of the ridge adjacent to the mansion. It really worked in their favor that the architecture of this mansion depended on much of the rocky slope behind it, actually built to lean into it, much like Minas Tirith, the nerd in Lexa thought. There were sections of its flat roof that connected to the hill, making it a cakewalk for Clarke to rappel herself from the rock-face and onto the gravel lining the top of the roof. Lexa was lying flat on her stomach in position on a ridge, connected to the slope that allowed her full visual of the front and back of the mansion.

It was now up to Lexa to eliminate the guards outside without alerting the rest of the security team – which of course sounded a lot easier than it was. She blinked once to clear her eyes and looked into her scope, watching, deliberating on which to kill first. She also was considerate of where their body would land, and whether others would notice it. She cleared her throat, took and deep breath, and fired at the first target. He fell almost silently from his post at the garage, a key region for their plan.

Lexa instantly repositioned her rifle, and adjusted the scope so that she could focus on her next target. Her heart rate was a steady 48 bpm as she quickly and efficiently eliminated one, two, three of the guards. The deck and the grassy yard were clear, and so was the garage area. Clarke signaled the universal "OK" with her right hand, and she set to work infiltrating the back porch that had just been cleared by Lexa.

Meanwhile, the brunette eyed the front of the building. She could see a few of the security team milling about at the guard house. That would be up in flames in about four minutes, she noted as she checked her watch. Her cheek was pressed against the rifle as she sat there diligently watching over Clarke, keeping her safe as she worked on getting through to the garage.

Lexa couldn't help whistling, impressed as Clarke performed a tight back flip off of the deck, landing silently like a cat. The blonde moved quietly over to the garage, and Lexa went back to watching for movement inside the house.

"You look great honey." Lexa commented as the blonde went out of sight, and she heard her hushed laughter as she worked on planting the bombs.

"You're such a perv." Clarke commented quietly, the tone of her voice playful and teasing, and Lexa grinned.

"You're dating this perv." The brunette retorted dryly, a hint of teasing underlining her words.

"Oh gosh you're right. Guess we should break up then."

"Harsh." Lexa remarked, her finger tapping the trigger of her rifle as she eliminated a security guard that was getting a little too close to the gate. "And I was thinking about running away with you too."

"Tough." Clarke responded briefly, which earned a low huffing laugh from the brunette.

Lexa continued watching the perimeter of the building, slowly picking the guards off until she was almost certain that the only ones that remained were the ones in the guard house and any who had been posted in the mansion. It was better this way; most of these men were likely trained by former U.S. army Major and Kane's current second-in-command, Byrne, a tough, gritty woman who'd rarely ever lost a fight, from what Lexa had heard.

"Charges are laid." Clarke said minutes later, and Lexa tapped her earpiece to answer.

"Got it, coming your way now." Lexa packed up her rifle and bolted down the ridge, leaping on the treacherous rocky slope like a mountain goat. When she finally made it to the ledge connecting to the roof, Clarke was perched in front of the skylight waiting for her. The blonde had the remote in her hands, and once Lexa was at her side mimicking her position, she pressed the button.

The explosion was deafening, and Lexa hardly flinched as the garage and the guard house went up in flames. Debris was flying everywhere, and in the confusion, as the few guards were racing out from the main building to confront it, Clarke bent down and broke the skylight with the butt of her MK18 rifle. Clarke jumped through first, landing on her feet in the master bedroom. After eliminating the guards milling around the front and back of the house, Lexa jumped in after her.

They moved as one down out of the room, making a point to check for any unaccounted-for guards. The target was Kane.

Then she saw him, in the dining room as they got to the top of the staircase. Her rifle was up instantly, and she fired off a shot, missing only by a hairsbreadth. He seemed to have noticed her, his attention drawn from the fire and debris outside, and he immediately ducked under the $100,000 sofa.

Clarke let out a shout, and Lexa turned just in time to see Byrne, coming at them fast from the foot of the stairs. A beast-like personality, if Lexa was forced to describe this woman. Lexa fired twice, hitting Byrne repeatedly in the chest, but she didn't seem to be slowing down, given the Kevlar she wore. There was a brilliant flash of yellow, and Lexa watched in surprise as Clarke jumped down from the bannister to meet the other woman.

Clarke barreled down, an elbow catching Byrne in the jaw as she took the older woman tumbling down the steps with her. They both landed with a thud at the bottom of the stairs, and Lexa looked away for a split second, scanning for Kane. He seemed to have taken the distraction that Byrne had caused to race out of the dining room, with Lexa catching sight of the top of his head as he rushed to the adjoining room. Knowing Clarke could take care of herself, Lexa huffed and took off down the stairs to pursue.

She was just running through the doorway, rifle up and ready when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Out of pure reflex, Lexa ducked, and as she looked up she saw a butcher's knife now hilt-deep against the spot on the wall she had just stood in front of seconds before. She saw Kane on the other side of the kitchen, using the island as cover, and she had to dodge out of the way as he threw another knife at her. Lexa fired at him, and he tucked and rolled out of sight.

Then he stood suddenly, and then she scrambled to find some cover of her own. He must have stashed a pistol in one of the cabinets, right next to the cheese grater probably, typical household item to have around. She hid behind a cabinet, and she listened as he fired off several shots, and then went silent. She stood as he was reloading with a new clip, hearing the satisfying sounds of the bullets hitting the island.

"You know, I'm disappointed!" Kane shouted over the sounds of the rifle. "I would have hoped for an old-fashioned fight, but it seems you just want to be a coward and go about it the easy way!"

Lexa snorted, annoyed. "Like I'd trust you to fight fair!" She retorted. Her rifle empty, she crouched down again, and she heard Kane fire at her. What a trusty old oak cabinet, she thought somewhat sardonically. To her chagrin, she noticed that her Glock was also empty, and she made a decision.

She heard the click that indicated he was out, and Lexa took that opening. She raced over to the side of the island and out of sight, listening. Then she heard footsteps coming around, and she leapt at him, tackling him against the kitchen counter. She smirked grimly when she heard the cracking of bones, a fist raised up to sock him hard in the jaw. Kane recovered quickly though, using his legs to kick her.

Lexa reflexively used the momentum to flip onto the island top, her fingers clasping around the knife at her belt as she landed on the other side of the island. Kane glowered at her from his side, his left arm kept low, covering what seemed to be broken ribs. She wouldn't trust him though, and Lexa recalled one training session where he had pointedly faked injury to win a match against another agent.

She kept her fingers loose around the knife, and they glared at each other for a few heartbeats, when suddenly he bolted for the doorway and into the study. Lexa hurled her knife, and saw it hit its mark, right in the back of his thigh. It didn't seem to slow him down though, and she chased after him.

She saw him rushing towards the wall, and Lexa immediately knew what he was going for. She immediately searched the walls as well, impressed by the amount of ornaments littering each side. Kane pulled down an impressively well-kept sabre, and she rushed to find something to defend herself. As he rushed up to her, her hands quickly found a chair, using it to block his attack.

Lexa used the legs of the chair to put distance between them, blocking each attempt skillfully. Then, as Kane was about to jab at her waist, Lexa repositioned the chair with a flick of her wrist. She grinned when the blade pierced the seat of the chair, and instantly she thrust the chair forward, pushing Kane against the collarbone and knocking him into the coffee table directly behind him.

As he fell, Lexa pulled out the knife sheathed at her ankle. Kane recovered fast, performing a kick-up so that he was facing Lexa head on. Then he grimaced and reached behind his thigh, pulling out the knife she had thrown at him and holding it out, ready and waiting for her attack. They were glaring at each other like hungry wolves, with Kane bleeding from his leg and favoring his left side, while Lexa's injured leg stung from the exertion.

"I'd like to say I've seen improvement, but I'm quite disappointed by your technique." Kane sneered. Lexa didn't bother answering, simply searching her mind for her next move.

Kane lunged at her suddenly, and Lexa jerked back, just narrowly avoiding the brunt of the knife. She felt the sting of the blade cut at her left arm though, the blood there soaking through her sleeve instantly.

His second jab was parried fast, and she moved quickly to counter. She feigned an attack at his right, then switched hands, her fist punching him hard in the stomach. As he was bent over in pain, Lexa moved to knee him in the face, but he caught her leg.

Her back hit the ground with a loud thud, and as she was still recovering, she felt a swift kick against her injured leg. Lexa rolled to avoid a second kick, and as he was striding to catch up to her, she reversed her roll and sank her knife the incoming foot, feeling the blade go through it completely and lodge itself into the hardwood floor. As he let out a scream, Lexa scrambled messily to her feet, taking the knife that Kane had dropped and slipping it into her belt.

His hands were at the hilt of Lexa's knife, but before he could do anything, Lexa punched him hard, breaking his jaw on impact. But before he could even retaliate, she stomped down on the knife, and as the blood was gushing from his foot, she attacked him with a flurry of punches against his face and throat. Her last blow knocked him onto his back completely, and she felt the bones in her hand break.

"Had enough, asshole?" Lexa snarled as she stood above him, trying to ignore the pain of her broken fingers.

Kane was wheezing from the blow to his throat, a crushed windpipe, in all likelihood. For all that she saw before her, the imminent victory at her feet, Lexa only felt numb.

"Why Kane, why did you do all this?" She asked harshly. She wanted to kill him, but she needed an answer. He met her glare, and there wasn't a trace of the man she knew many years ago.

"For the control." He snapped. "Do you know, how hard it is to live your life fully controlled by others, especially as long as I've been in the agency?" Kane struggled into a kneeling position. "I've bled, lost, and been tortured, all for my country. There's only so much more a man can give." He exhaled heavily, and Lexa heard a bubbling sound lingering in his breath. "I decided that a man should be able to take control of his own life. And it was glorious, being in control of other people, watching them be the pawns."

"Your meddling got Costia killed!" Lexa snarled, rage building up within her. It took all of her self-control not to snap his neck right now.

"An unfortunate accident." He wheezed. "I wasn't aware that it was your team in charge of the mission, or else I wouldn't have tipped them off."

"Bull shit!"

"It's the truth!" Kane glared up at her. "And if you hadn't stuck your nose into something that didn't concern you, like an old woman's motherly concern for an irrelevant person, you never would have gotten into this!"

Lexa clenched her jaw, breathing heavily through her nostrils. "No. The root of the problem is you. All along." She pulled out the scavenged knife, and looked down at him, hardening herself for the task at hand. Yet, despite her anger, her rage, and all the misfortunes that had materialized in her life because of him, she couldn't do it.

She felt extremely uneasy at this revelation. Lexa had never had problems killing people before, in fact, she felt at times that her lack of guilt afterward was slightly disconcerting. But for reasons unknown to her, she could not bring herself to kill Kane.

While Lexa was waging this internal war, she suddenly heard gunshots from the other room. Clarke. Her head instinctually turned to the sound, and that's when Kane took his chance. Without preamble, he pulled the knife from his foot and thrust it at Lexa. She only narrowly avoided it, and then it became a game of ducking, avoiding, and exchanging blows. Somewhere within the heat of it, the duel had brought them deeper into the study, Lexa's back facing the floor-to-ceiling windows.

As he was moving forward to jab at her again though, she sidestepped the blow, and watched in shock as he fell through the glass and down the rocky slopes below to his death.

She looked out the window for a second more, before she remembered the gunshots. Worry invaded her instantly, and she took off in search of Clarke.

Lexa caught sight of her at the main hall, lying on her back, her eyes closed. A few meters away from her, Byrnes was dead, a bullet wound in her temple enough indication of what had happened. Lexa immediately rushed to Clarke's side. The blonde was bleeding from a deep wound in her torso, and Lexa brought her hand up in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Clarke, Clarke can you hear me? Please, Clarke, wake up." Lexa pleaded, a hand at the blonde's cheek as she tried to get her to answer, to breathe, to say something. "Clarke, don't die, please, come back to me." She was a babbling mess, and she could feel the tears on her face as she took in the broken, bloody figure of the woman she loved. Lexa pulled Clarke's body up in her arms, burying her face in the blonde's chest as she wept freely.

"Lexa?" The brunette felt the vibrations in Clarke's chest when she spoke, and her head snapped up to look at her. Clarke's eyes had fluttered open, looking up at her with concern.

"Clarke!" Lexa breathed, and she stroked her cheek gently. "You're going to be fine." She whispered desperately, and the blonde smiled at her, her eyes shining with pain.

"Lex, can you," She paused, closing her eyes in agony, before she opened them to hold Lexa captive to her gaze "can you say it, one more time?" Lexa could feel her heart shattering within her chest as she clutched Clarke tightly against her body. There were many thing she wanted to say, but she obliged to Clarke's request, her voice broken when she said it.

"I love you."


	15. Chapter 15

Four Years Later

 

A solitary figure stood at the top of the ridge. Sharp eyes scanned the landscape before them, hands tightening their grip on the reins of their mount. It took a few more minutes of her time, but when Anya finally found what she was looking for, she could not stifle the wide grin that instantaneously took shape across her features.

"What's got you all smiling?" Octavia asked as she meandered up next to the other woman. The younger agent fidgeted from the saddle of the mare she was riding like she had an itch, not quite getting the hang of sitting on the back of this enormous animal. She had fallen five times during their eight-hour journey across country. It had been an arduous adventure; involving renting a 4x4 off-roader from a shifty man and his family, rock climbing though rough and rocky terrain, and finally finding their current steeds to get to this location, and damn was it a sight for sore eyes. The landscape was all rolling hot white sand, nothing else for miles except the vast ocean and tropical vegetation. And a simple, understated white-walled house located at the edge of the sandbar stood solitary and nestled between two large palm trees.

"Over there." She indicated with the pointing of her sharp chin. Octavia turned her gaze to where Anya had nodded, and her reaction mimicked the older woman immediately, gripping the reins tighter around her hands.

"Well what are we waiting for then?" Octavia nudged her horse encouragingly, who shot forward at her urging. After Anya laughed heartily at watching Octavia almost stumble from her long-suffering mount's back, she followed her down the sandbar, her horse snorting as she galloped down after his companion.

The two women made their way down the beach, their horses' manes flying wildly as they enjoyed the galloped along the sand, the sea breeze whipping powerfully up to meet them. They raced towards the hut, both eager to reach the figure reclining upon a lounge chair.

Octavia spurred her mount faster, releasing a wild whoop as her horse's hooves kicked up a sand storm in his speed. "Lexa!" She shouted.

Lexa looked up from her seat out on the balcony of the hut. Her wavy brown hair blew in the salty breeze, her skin – peeking out from the tank top and shorts she wore – tanned from many months spent out in the sun. She had thought she had heard hoof beats, and her brilliant green eyes shone with recognition. Lexa abandoned her half-read book, long legs carrying her to the sandy shore, meeting them halfway.

Octavia leapt off her horse, colliding with Lexa, her arms wide. Lexa laughed loudly as she caught the younger girl, the two landing on the sand.

Anya hopped off her own horse, making her way over to them. Lexa stood quickly, giving Octavia a hand up. Octavia grinned, taking the offered help before she encircled Lexa's shoulders, squeezing happily before allowing Anya near them.

"Well met." Anya said, a wide grin on her face. Lexa returned the sentiment with a warm embrace, her arms around her former mentor's waist.

"I've missed your face." Lexa smiled as she withdrew slightly to examine Anya's features. The older woman had aged slightly, the wrinkles at the edge of her eyes and on her forehead a bit more pronounced. Her hair was darker than before, likely from the lack of sunlight in the dimly-lit office in New York.

"I've missed you." Anya replied honestly, a single happy tear falling as she took in the sight of her best friend, the woman she had long considered her little sister. Lexa shook her head as she saw the solitary tear, reaching up with her thumb to wipe it away gently from her soft cheek.

"No tears, not on this day my friend." Lexa scolded as she embraced Anya once more. When they pulled apart, Octavia appeared at their side, the horses' reins in her hands.

"Where should I tie these big guys?" She asked. Lexa smirked and took them from Octavia, striding back to the hut. She made a beckoning motion with her free hand as she walked over to a solitary post next to the entryway of the balcony.

"So how have you been?" Anya asked as she followed Lexa. Octavia made herself at home instantly, plopping herself down on the previously occupied lounge chair.

As Lexa walked, Anya caught sight of the scars on the brunette's shoulder blade and on the back of her thigh, and couldn't help wincing at the imagined pain. Lexa tied the horses with practiced ease before turning to face her friend.

"Getting better." Lexa crossed her arms, avoiding Anya's gaze. "Honestly, I'm still trying to get used to…all this." She motioned to the hut, the immediate vicinity with her hands. Lexa sighed breathily, eyes inspecting her sandals, before she looked up.

"It's hard to get over stuff like that." Anya commented sympathetically. Lexa huffed. She didn't like the pity she was receiving. Not when she was like this.

"H – " Suddenly, both women heard the steady hum of a sand-mobile, then the cutting of the ignition.

"Lexa, we're home!" At the sound of those words, Lexa instantly turned away from Anya to greet the owner of that voice. Lexa smiled as she walked up to the newcomers, bending down to a crouch to greet one in particular.

"Mommy!" The brunette smiled tenderly as her three-year old daughter walked up to her on unsteady legs, collapsing into the strong arms of her doting mother. Lexa lifted her up in her arms, greeting her with a gentle kiss on the forehead before her eyes sought out the other love of her life.

"Hey Anya!" Clarke greeted the woman brightly as she walked over to them. The woman wore a bright yellow tank top with white shorts, her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and her blue eyes sparkling as she walked into Lexa's waiting out-stretched arm, receiving a chaste kiss on her lips.

Anya stood there gaping, and Lexa wished she could take a picture of her friend's stunned expression. "Surprise?" Lexa said, a lilt in her voice. Anya seemed to recover from the shock, and she reached over to swat Lexa on the shoulder.

"You son of a bitch!" She squeaked, her eyes never leaving the inquisitive little human in Lexa's arms.

"Language, please." Clarke scolded her gently, though she untangled herself from Lexa's hold to pull Anya into a hug. Anya held her tightly, squeezing her shoulders as they withdrew. The blonde was practically glowing with health, her blue eyes a brilliant sapphire. There was no sign of the pale, small figure that had lain critically injured in a New Mexico hospital four years ago.

"You look great Clarke." Anya praised the other woman, whose cheeks colored slightly at the compliment. The blonde's skin was well-tanned, her figure fuller and stronger. It looked like she had gained a few pounds of muscle too, and she looked positively content and happy.

"Well anyone can look better than how I must have been like since last you saw me." She mumbled modestly, and Lexa noticed her discomfort. The brunette linked her fingers through Clarke's, taking her hand gently.

"We've all changed since then." Lexa said, though her eyes were only for Clarke. It did not take much for Lexa to remember the fear, the anxiety of the years past. It had been a wild dream, to imagine that they would make it to this point, but they had, and Lexa only had the big guy upstairs to thank.

"Clarke, is that you?" Octavia called as she rounded the other side of the hut to them. Her eyes widened once she saw the toddler in Lexa's arms. "Oh my God you guys!" She shrieked excitedly before rushing up to them. The fire-cracker of an agent seemed to turn into putty once she saw the child, her hands eagerly reaching out to her. "What's your name sweetie?" She asked gently.

The toddler met her gaze, her intelligent blue eyes, so much like her mother, scrutinizing this new stranger. There wasn't even shyness in her gaze, only a haughty curiosity that screamed Lexa. Lexa, for her part, beamed proudly.

"What's your name?" The toddler retorted, and Anya couldn't stifle the chuckle that slipped through her lips. Lexa grinned too, but Clarke shot her a stern glare, and she only gave her an endearing wink in return. It was definitely Lexa's attitude.

"Honey, these are friends of ours, Octavia and Anya." Clarke informed her daughter. "Remember to be polite to our guests." She shot Lexa a glare as if it was her fault, who shrugged helplessly, meeting Anya's eyes with a proud smile before intervening as well.

"Want to introduce yourself, my big girl?" She cooed, and her daughter gave her a toothy grin. Lexa returned the smile, nodding encouragingly to her.

"I'm Costia." The girl finally said. Octavia grinned. At Octavia's shoulder, Anya raised her eyebrow, catching the significance of this girl's name. She met Lexa's gaze, and nodded approvingly. Lexa swore she saw Anya's eyes glaze with tears again, this marking the second time she'd seen her friend show such emotions.

It didn't take much coaxing for Costia to accept Octavia's offered hand, and the two went off exploring the beach together, kicking up sand as they walked side-by-side.

Clarke rested her head against Lexa's shoulder, an arm draped around the brunette's waist. Anya looked at the couple, and she couldn't be happier for them.

"I'm really happy that you found each other." Anya commented. The two women murmured their thanks, with Clarke grasping Anya's hand. Lexa clasped her hand on her former mentor's shoulder, and then they were left to their own devices as she made her way down to follow Octavia and Costia.

"I'm happy too." Clarke remarked after a heartbeat, and Lexa returned the sentiment by dropping a kiss on Clarke's forehead.

"I know." Lexa said, grinning ear-to-ear. "I'd be a fool not to appreciate your fine ass as much as I do." Clarke laughed gently, a hand running up and down Lexa's back.

"Very eloquent of you." Clarke snorted. "I seem to remember you being much more romantic when we first met." Lexa hid her smile in Clarke's blonde tresses as she burrowed her nose into her hair reverently. They stood there together for a while longer before Lexa captured Clarke's lips in a gentle kiss. Their lips reacquainted themselves, and Lexa wanted to deepen it, but the blonde pulled away with a smile. Before Lexa could protest, Clarke dragged her down to the others with a mischievous smirk and a wink.

\----

"Why Tahiti?"

"Clarke suggested it, and it is nice and quiet here." The brunette grinned before taking a gulp of her beer.

"You seem very happy." Anya remarked as she examined Lexa's face. The two were sitting on the steps of the balcony, watching as Clarke and Octavia aided Costia in her construction of a sand castle.

For the last half hour, Lexa's attention had been focused only on her family. Clarke's golden locks blew casually in the wind, creating a halo around her as she laughed, played with their daughter. She was angelic, beautiful, and divine. Costia's happy giggles reached Lexa's ears, and she felt like her heart would burst with the love and affection she was feeling at this moment.

Lexa cradled the cold beer in her hands as her gaze followed her girls playing in the sand. "Honestly, I'd be happy anywhere as long as my girls are with me." Lexa confessed, before adding "They're my home." She nodded towards them, and Anya smiled.

"Who would have guessed in a million years, that you'd be a doting, committed parent." Anya commented, nudging Lexa with her elbow teasingly. "Or that you'd even fall in love again." She added, and Lexa nodded.

"That's why we named her after Costia." Lexa admitted. "To honor her, and to forget the pain of the past, to build a future with our own hands." She pointed with her chin, and Anya knew what she was inferring from that one nod.

"It's very brave of you." Anya remarked. "It's brave of you both." She leaned against the railing of the steps, stretching out her legs as she took in the rays of the mid-day sun. "So no regrets, about leaving?"

Lexa raised an eyebrow at her, as if surprised she would even ask such a question. "You know I don't." She stretched her arms up into the air. Anya and Lexa sat in silence before the latter suddenly broke the calm between them. "Before he died, Kane said a few things, and I've been thinking about them."

"What did he say?" Anya asked curiously. Lexa looked out toward the water before she responded.

"He said the main reason he betrayed all of us, was because he felt like he could no longer control his own life. He bled for the agency, and got no more than a slap on the back for it." Lexa rubbed the back of her head as she spoke. "And he's right."

"Remember he's a psycho, right?" Anya reminded Lexa quietly, who waved off her concern.

"I know. But I also know that he was right. I need to take control of my own life. Not in the way that he did, but by quitting. And look at this." She motioned with her head. "Walking away is the best decision I've made my entire life. That, and loving Clarke."

Anya smiled, a hand coming up to rub Lexa's shoulder. "I can see that. You've been positively buzzing with happiness the minute I laid eyes on you." She said teasingly. "And that little girl of yours, she's got you wrapped around her finger, just like Clarke does."

Lexa grinned at Anya's words. "Yeah she's my princess." Anya pretended to gag, and Lexa punched her lightly on the shoulder. The older woman teetered off of her perch, but she recovered her balance quickly, shooting Lexa a playful glare.

"But seriously," Anya started as she shuffled back to her seat. "You look happier than I've ever seen you before. And gosh, your eyes are literally heart-shaped when they're looking at Clarke or Costia." She glared at her teasingly. "What happened to that stone-cold, tough agent I trained all those years ago? It's like you've turned into mush."

"Well," Lexa took a sip of her beer. "Meeting and marrying the love of your life will do that to you." She smiled as Clarke and Costia ganged up on Octavia, flinging the contents of the sand bucket in her direction. The shrieks of laughter made Lexa's heart swell.

She finished her drink, then stood. "You need a refill?" She asked Anya. The other woman grinned and held up her similarly empty bottle. Lexa took it and made her way up the steps and into the house.

She had just retrieved two beers from the fridge when she felt arms encircling around her waist. Clarke's chin rested on her shoulder, and Lexa closed her eyes, content. She basked in the tranquility of this moment, drowning in the love Clarke had for her.

"Where's my girl?" She asked after a second. Clarke's arms tightened around her, and Lexa took one of the blonde's hands to thread their fingers together.

"Playing with her aunties on the balcony." Clarke answered gently. Lexa chuckled.

"Anya will be thrilled at that title, she still considers herself to be young." Clarke grinned, and she buried her face in Lexa's neck, enjoying the feel of her cheek pressed against the brunette's skin.

"I love you." Clarke whispered into her ear softly, and Lexa turned in the blonde's arms. She soaked in the sight before her. Her hands reached under Clarke's tank top, feeling the familiar line on her relatively unmarred skin. The nightmare of that day was nothing more than a memory, with a scar on Clarke's abdomen the only remnants of that showdown. Lexa ran her hands down her skin, as if ensuring that she was real, that she was actually awake.

"I love you too." Lexa whispered tenderly, her hands reaching to cup Clarke's rear gently, pulling her close so they were flush against each other. Clarke's lips ghosted across Lexa's cheek reassuringly, reminding her that she was alive and well, here and with her in their house on the beach in Tahiti.

Lexa captured Clarke's lips, nipping her bottom lip playfully as they kissed. They parted after a few heartbeats, their foreheads pressed against each other, breathing in the air around them as one. Then Clarke gently pulled away, taking the beer bottles in her hands, beckoning with one finger for Lexa to follow her as she strolled out to the balcony.

She heard her daughter's giggles, accompanied by Anya's booming laugh and Octavia's cackles, and Lexa's face broke into a smile. Lexa wanted to memorize, to capture, this moment in her mind forever. She had everything right here, in this place. What had started as a stupid cover job had led to her finding the love of her life, and for that Lexa would forever be grateful. Now, with her wife in her arms and her daughter outside, playing and laughing, Lexa sighed happily. With a grin, Lexa walked out to join them.


End file.
